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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. band — a music group
  6. spell — letters
  7. lean — thin
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. band — a ring
  10. bound — tied together
  11. lean — to bend
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. bulb — for light
  15. spell — a short time
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bulb — for light
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. game — a match
  22. spell — magic
  23. wax — to grow
  24. bound — certain

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