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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. file — a line of people
  3. file — a document
  4. root — of a plant
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. rash — hasty
  8. swing — to play on
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. swing — in golf
  12. bass — the fish
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. rash — a series
  16. file — a tool
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. bass — low music
  19. swing — music
  20. root — of a word
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. root — the cause
  23. wax — to grow
  24. wax — in the ear

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