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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — from crying
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. tear — to rip
  11. object — an aim
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. object — to protest
  14. wax — to grow
  15. swing — to play on
  16. snap — to click
  17. ball — a great time
  18. wound — an injury
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. wound — an injury
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. ball — a dance
  23. swing — music
  24. object — a thing

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