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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. rash — a series
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. vault — a safe
  7. band — a ring
  8. chip — to eat
  9. row — a line
  10. rash — hasty
  11. row — to paddle
  12. root — the cause
  13. wax — to grow
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. root — of a plant
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. root — of a word
  23. chip — for betting
  24. row — a quarrel

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