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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. rest — what's left
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. band — a ring
  6. wax — to grow
  7. mine — for digging
  8. pop — to visit
  9. lean — thin
  10. court — for sport
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. rest — a break
  13. lean — to bend
  14. rest — what's left
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. band — a music group
  17. pop — soda
  18. court — of law
  19. lie — to recline
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. court — of a king
  24. pop — music

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