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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. stand — to bear
  3. scale — size or range
  4. tube — a container
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. pop — music
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. wax — to grow
  10. degree — an amount
  11. degree — temperature
  12. band — a ring
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. pop — to visit
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. degree — from a university
  20. scale — in music
  21. pop — soda
  22. tube — the underground
  23. saw — the tool
  24. band — a rubber band

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