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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. swing — in golf
  3. club — for golf
  4. current — of water
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. swing — to play on
  7. tear — to rip
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. swing — music
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. tear — from crying
  15. club — for dancing
  16. current — electric
  17. current — happening now
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. tear — from crying
  24. wax — to grow

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