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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 120 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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. spell — letters
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. kid — child
  6. net — for catching
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. net — in sport
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. lean — to bend
  13. kid — to tease
  14. net — after costs
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. lean — thin
  17. spell — a short time
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. swing — in golf
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. stand — to bear
  22. spell — magic
  23. swing — to play on
  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