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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. club — a group
  3. club — for golf
  4. pop — music
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. spell — magic
  11. ground — crushed
  12. club — for dancing
  13. ground — a position
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. spell — letters
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. spell — a short time
  18. perch — the fish
  19. pop — to visit
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. ground — the earth
  22. pop — soda
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. racket — a loud noise

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