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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. pop — soda
  3. staff — a stick
  4. can — a tin
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. spring — of water
  7. lie — to recline
  8. spring — a coil
  9. pop — to visit
  10. can — a tin
  11. spring — the season
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. club — for golf
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. can — to be able to
  16. wax — to grow
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. pop — music
  21. club — for dancing
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. staff — employees
  24. staff — employees

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