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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. wax — to grow
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. club — a group
  6. staff — a stick
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. rash — hasty
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. wake — a trail
  12. club — for dancing
  13. rash — a series
  14. mine — for digging
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. staff — employees
  19. swing — in golf
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. swing — to play on
  23. swing — music
  24. staff — employees

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