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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. That must've been a ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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. rush — a thrill
  4. cue — for pool
  5. land — to come down
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. cue — a hint
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — a box
  11. cue — a signal
  12. chest — of your body
  13. present — the time now
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. land — a country
  16. present — there
  17. band — a music group
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. land — ground
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. present — a gift
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. rush — hurry

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