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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. band — a music group
  3. game — wild animals
  4. rest — a break
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. game — a match
  7. cue — for pool
  8. cue — a signal
  9. rest — what's left
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. cue — a hint
  13. capital — a city
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. band — a ring
  19. capital — money
  20. rest — what's left
  21. dip — to sink
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. wax — to grow

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