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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. club — a group
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. fork — in a road
  7. wax — to grow
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. snap — to click
  10. spring — the season
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. club — for dancing
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. bear — the animal
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. foot — a measure
  21. bear — the animal
  22. club — for golf
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. spring — of water

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