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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. band — a ring
  3. suit — to fit
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. suit — clothes
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wax — to grow
  10. pit — a hole
  11. suit — in cards
  12. pit — in a race
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. band — a music group
  17. lean — to bend
  18. wound — an injury
  19. ground — a position
  20. ground — the earth
  21. pitch — completely
  22. ground — crushed
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. lean — thin

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