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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 116 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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. can — to be able to
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. club — for dancing
  6. can — a tin
  7. root — of a word
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. can — a tin
  11. wax — to grow
  12. root — the cause
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. cold — an illness
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. club — for golf
  17. cold — not warm
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. root — of a plant
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. deal — to handle
  22. club — a group
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. racket — a loud noise

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