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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. club — for golf
  3. craft — a skill
  4. capital — money
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. march — music
  7. root — of a word
  8. swing — in golf
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. craft — boats
  11. root — the cause
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. swing — to play on
  14. march — the month
  15. capital — a city
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. club — a group
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. march — the month
  20. swing — music
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. wax — to grow
  23. club — for dancing
  24. root — of a plant

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