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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. field — farmland
  4. wax — to grow
  5. mine — for digging
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. club — for dancing
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. field — for sport
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. club — a group
  13. field — a subject
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. content — happy
  21. pass — a permit
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. content — the amount

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