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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 asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. season — of the year
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. firm — steady
  5. swing — music
  6. club — for golf
  7. rock — music
  8. rock — a stone
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. club — a group
  11. swing — in golf
  12. swing — to play on
  13. spell — a short time
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. club — for dancing
  16. wax — to grow
  17. season — in sport
  18. press — a publisher
  19. firm — decided
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. spell — letters
  22. press — newspapers
  23. press — to push
  24. firm — a company

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