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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 people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. net — for catching
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. net — after costs
  7. scale — in music
  8. band — a music group
  9. pop — music
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. game — wild animals
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. pop — to visit
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. net — in sport
  16. scale — size or range
  17. game — a match
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. wax — to grow
  21. band — a ring
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. pop — soda

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