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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. wax — to grow
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. ground — crushed
  5. pit — a hole
  6. band — a music group
  7. pit — in a race
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. game — wild animals
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. prune — to trim
  14. rest — a break
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. prune — to trim
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. game — a match
  19. ground — the earth
  20. rest — what's left
  21. band — a ring
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. ground — a position
  24. rest — what's left

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