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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. bass — the fish
  4. club — for dancing
  5. spring — of water
  6. cue — a signal
  7. bass — low music
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. swing — music
  10. swing — to play on
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. saw — the tool
  14. bore — to drill
  15. club — a group
  16. spring — the season
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. swing — in golf
  19. bore — to tire
  20. spring — a coil
  21. club — for golf
  22. cue — a hint
  23. wax — to grow
  24. saw — the tool

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