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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 coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. wax — to grow
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. vault — a safe
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. band — a ring
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. swing — music
  10. pop — to visit
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. band — a music group
  13. pop — soda
  14. bat — the animal
  15. roll — a list
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. roll — a cake
  19. pop — music
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. tube — a container
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. swing — to play on
  24. tube — the underground

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