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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 124 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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Word bank
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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: ball · dip · swing · wax · club · spell · spring · suit

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. dip — to sink
  3. spring — the season
  4. spell — magic
  5. wax — to grow
  6. spring — of water
  7. spring — a coil
  8. ball — a dance
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. club — a group
  11. suit — in cards
  12. spell — letters
  13. club — for golf
  14. ball — a great time
  15. suit — clothes
  16. spell — a short time
  17. swing — to play on
  18. suit — to fit
  19. swing — music
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. swing — in golf
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. club — for dancing

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