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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: row · bore · face · club · pitcher · dip · wax · swing

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. swing — music
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. face — part of the head
  5. bore — to drill
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. face — to point toward
  8. club — a group
  9. face — to confront
  10. wax — to grow
  11. swing — in golf
  12. club — for golf
  13. dip — to sink
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. row — to paddle
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. club — for dancing
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bore — to tire
  22. swing — to play on
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. row — a line

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