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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: can · wax · club · mate · season · swing · racket · chair

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. club — a group
  5. season — of the year
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. swing — in golf
  9. chair — a leader
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. season — in sport
  12. can — to be able to
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. can — a tin
  15. mate — a friend
  16. club — for golf
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. can — a tin
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. club — for dancing
  21. mate — a partner
  22. wax — to grow
  23. swing — to play on
  24. swing — music

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