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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. present — there
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. roll — a list
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — an injury
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. present — a gift
  14. roll — a cake
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. present — the time now
  17. club — a group
  18. date — the fruit
  19. club — for dancing
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. wax — to grow

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