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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. club — for dancing
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. sharp — clever
  7. club — a group
  8. game — a match
  9. game — wild animals
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. wax — to grow
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. club — for golf
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. plane — a tool
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. sharp — with an edge

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