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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. wax — to grow
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. band — a music group
  7. wind — moving air
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bound — certain
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. hand — in cards
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. bound — tied together
  23. hand — help
  24. wax — for sculpting

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