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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: tear · wax · pass · club · mate · kick

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. mate — a partner
  3. pass — a permit
  4. club — for golf
  5. tear — to rip
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. wax — to grow
  10. tear — from crying
  11. mate — to breed
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. kick — in football
  14. mate — a friend
  15. tear — from crying
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. club — a group

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