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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. shower — to wash
  3. prune — to trim
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. current — of water
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. prune — to trim
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. club — for golf
  13. face — to point toward
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. face — part of the head
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. face — to confront
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. club — for dancing
  21. current — electric
  22. wax — to grow
  23. shower — rain
  24. club — a group

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