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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. swing — music
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. fork — in a road
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. wax — to grow
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — to trim
  14. swing — in golf
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. perch — the fish
  20. snap — to click
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. swing — to play on

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