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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. field — for sport
  3. wound — an injury
  4. suit — clothes
  5. suit — to fit
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. kid — child
  9. field — farmland
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. club — for dancing
  12. field — a subject
  13. kid — to tease
  14. suit — in cards
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. wax — to grow
  19. lean — thin
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. lean — to bend
  23. club — for golf
  24. wave — of the sea

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