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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. band — a music group
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. shower — rain
  6. deal — to handle
  7. wax — to grow
  8. can — to be able to
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. band — a ring
  11. game — wild animals
  12. cue — a hint
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. game — a match
  15. shower — to wash
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. can — a tin
  18. can — a tin
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. prune — to trim
  22. cue — a signal
  23. prune — to trim
  24. cue — for pool

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