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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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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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mine — for digging
  4. deal — to handle
  5. band — a ring
  6. scale — in music
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. degree — temperature
  9. wax — to grow
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. degree — an amount
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. mate — a friend
  16. mate — to breed
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. degree — from a university
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. scale — size or range
  22. mate — a partner
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. band — a music group

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