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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 116 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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. scale — in music
  3. net — for catching
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. stand — to bear
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. rash — a series
  9. fine — high quality
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. fine — all right
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. band — a music group
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. net — after costs
  17. wax — to grow
  18. band — a ring
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. scale — size or range
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. net — in sport
  24. stand — on your feet

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