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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: drill · wax · wound · club · swing · toast · net · lie

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. swing — to play on
  4. net — for catching
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. wound — an injury
  7. drill — a practice
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. net — in sport
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lie — to recline
  12. club — a group
  13. wax — to grow
  14. net — after costs
  15. swing — in golf
  16. toast — bread
  17. swing — music
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. drill — the tool
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. drill — army training
  23. club — for dancing
  24. wound — an injury

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