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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. cell — in biology
  3. rash — hasty
  4. swing — music
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. swing — to play on
  8. cell — a phone
  9. bear — the animal
  10. mine — for digging
  11. wax — to grow
  12. rash — a series
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. bear — the animal
  22. toast — bread
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. swing — in golf

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