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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 116 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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. bore — to tire
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. spring — a coil
  8. sharp — clever
  9. club — for dancing
  10. wax — to grow
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. club — a group
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. board — a committee
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. spring — the season
  20. perch — the fish
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. board — to get on
  23. bore — to drill
  24. spring — of water

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