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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. track — a song
  3. band — a ring
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. wax — to grow
  6. hand — help
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. track — a path
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. hand — in cards
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. track — to keep track
  15. band — a music group
  16. rash — a series
  17. fork — in a road
  18. squash — to crush
  19. rash — hasty
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. squash — the sport

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