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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. content — happy
  4. current — of water
  5. content — the amount
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. root — of a plant
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. club — for dancing
  10. lie — to recline
  11. club — for golf
  12. band — a ring
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. band — a music group
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. root — the cause
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. club — a group
  20. current — electric
  21. root — of a word
  22. wax — to grow
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. current — happening now

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