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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. stand — to bear
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. pound — a weight
  6. club — for dancing
  7. face — to point toward
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. wax — to grow
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. scale — in music
  12. club — a group
  13. scale — size or range
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. saw — the tool
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. saw — the tool
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. face — to confront
  23. face — part of the head
  24. stand — on your feet

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