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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 120 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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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: bowl · swing · present · cold · perch · pit · cue · wax

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. swing — music
  3. swing — in golf
  4. perch — the fish
  5. cold — an illness
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. present — a gift
  8. pit — in a race
  9. cue — for pool
  10. present — there
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. cold — not warm
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. swing — to play on
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. present — the time now
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. cue — a signal
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. cue — a hint
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. pit — a hole
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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