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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. wax — to grow
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. spring — a coil
  5. drill — the tool
  6. spring — of water
  7. saw — the tool
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. swing — in golf
  10. spring — the season
  11. tube — a container
  12. tube — the underground
  13. swing — music
  14. swing — to play on
  15. court — of a king
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. court — for sport
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. drill — army training
  23. saw — the tool
  24. court — of law

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