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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. swing — to play on
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. swing — music
  8. mug — to rob
  9. wax — to grow
  10. kick — in football
  11. bank — of a river
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. stock — goods
  15. mug — a cup
  16. bank — for money
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. bank — for money
  19. ball — a great time
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. swing — in golf
  22. stock — shares
  23. ball — a dance
  24. mug — a face

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