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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  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. firm — a company
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. club — a group
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. rash — hasty
  8. band — a music group
  9. band — a ring
  10. firm — steady
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. club — for dancing
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. firm — decided
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. wax — to grow
  17. club — for golf
  18. rash — a series
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. plane — a tool
  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