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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. wound — an injury
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. cell — a phone
  5. chest — of your body
  6. craft — a skill
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. fork — in a road
  9. craft — boats
  10. cap — a hat
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. chest — a box
  14. swing — music
  15. cap — of ice
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. cell — in biology
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. swing — to play on
  21. wax — to grow
  22. chest — of your body
  23. cap — a lid
  24. wound — an injury

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