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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. suit — clothes
  3. wax — to grow
  4. swing — in golf
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. suit — in cards
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. saw — the tool
  9. swing — music
  10. current — of water
  11. current — electric
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. swing — to play on
  17. mug — to rob
  18. rash — a series
  19. current — happening now
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. rash — hasty
  22. suit — to fit
  23. mug — a cup
  24. mug — a face

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