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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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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: drill · mine · swing · wax · club · spell · object · fine

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. club — a group
  3. object — to protest
  4. wax — to grow
  5. swing — music
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. swing — to play on
  8. drill — army training
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. swing — in golf
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. spell — magic
  13. object — an aim
  14. spell — a short time
  15. object — a thing
  16. fine — high quality
  17. club — for dancing
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. fine — all right
  20. drill — a practice
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. club — for golf
  23. spell — letters
  24. drill — the tool

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