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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. band — a ring
  3. wax — to grow
  4. club — a group
  5. spring — the season
  6. craft — a skill
  7. last — to go on
  8. last — final
  9. spring — a coil
  10. craft — boats
  11. last — finally
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. club — for dancing
  14. band — a music group
  15. spring — of water
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. ball — a dance
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. pass — a permit
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. ball — a great time

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