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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. rock — music
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. wake — a trail
  7. wax — to grow
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. band — a ring
  10. sharp — clever
  11. club — a group
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. rock — a stone
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. field — farmland
  16. deal — to handle
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. club — for dancing
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. club — for golf
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. field — for sport
  23. field — a subject
  24. sharp — with an edge

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