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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 120 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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. mug — a cup
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. spring — of water
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. spring — the season
  9. club — for dancing
  10. wax — to grow
  11. mug — to rob
  12. mug — a face
  13. cap — a hat
  14. spring — a coil
  15. cap — a lid
  16. rash — a series
  17. bank — of a river
  18. cap — of ice
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bank — for money
  22. bank — for money
  23. club — for golf
  24. rash — hasty

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