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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: bulb · ground · swing · band · club · dip · wax · rash

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. ground — a position
  5. wax — to grow
  6. ground — the earth
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. dip — to sink
  12. swing — to play on
  13. band — a ring
  14. ground — crushed
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. swing — in golf
  17. bulb — for light
  18. rash — a series
  19. band — a music group
  20. swing — music
  21. club — for dancing
  22. rash — hasty
  23. bulb — for light
  24. club — for golf

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