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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. wind — moving air
  3. saw — the tool
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. pop — soda
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. roll — a list
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. rock — music
  11. pound — a weight
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. wind — moving air
  14. court — of law
  15. wax — to grow
  16. court — of a king
  17. pop — to visit
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. rock — a stone
  20. pop — music
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. saw — the tool
  24. court — for sport

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