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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. wax — to grow
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. club — for dancing
  5. club — for golf
  6. board — to get on
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. club — a group
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. wound — an injury
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. swing — in golf
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. board — a committee
  17. tube — the underground
  18. swing — to play on
  19. tube — a container
  20. wound — an injury
  21. swing — music
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. wax — for sculpting

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com