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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. wax — to grow
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. rule — a law
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. rule — government
  13. band — a ring
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. scale — in music
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. foot — a measure
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. scale — size or range
  24. pitcher — a jug

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