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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. current — of water
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. band — a music group
  6. saw — the tool
  7. deal — to handle
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. wax — to grow
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. band — a ring
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. current — electric
  15. swing — music
  16. swing — in golf
  17. saw — the tool
  18. current — happening now
  19. swing — to play on
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. band — a rubber band

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