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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. cap — of ice
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. fine — high quality
  6. wax — to grow
  7. chip — to eat
  8. band — a ring
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. cap — a hat
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. spell — a short time
  14. spell — letters
  15. mark — a grade
  16. fine — all right
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. mark — a trace
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. cap — a lid
  21. spell — magic
  22. chip — for betting
  23. band — a music group
  24. mark — to pay attention

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