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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. rash — a series
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. degree — from a university
  8. lean — to bend
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. degree — temperature
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. wax — to grow
  13. degree — an amount
  14. rash — hasty
  15. club — a group
  16. lean — thin
  17. perch — the fish
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. club — for dancing
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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