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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 116 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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. wax — to grow
  5. pit — in a race
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. mine — for digging
  9. fine — all right
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. mark — a trace
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. object — a thing
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. bass — low music
  17. bass — the fish
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. mark — a grade
  20. object — an aim
  21. fine — high quality
  22. band — a music group
  23. pit — a hole
  24. band — a ring

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