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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. band — a music group
  3. spring — of water
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. wax — to grow
  9. spring — a coil
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. pass — a permit
  13. spring — the season
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. chair — a leader
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. wake — a trail
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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