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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. wax — to grow
  7. club — for dancing
  8. board — a committee
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. foot — a measure
  15. scale — size or range
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. club — for golf
  20. scale — in music
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. club — a group
  23. board — to get on
  24. leaves — of a tree

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