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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. board — to get on
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. wax — to grow
  7. band — a music group
  8. court — for sport
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. clip — for paper
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. board — a committee
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. track — a path
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. track — to keep track
  19. court — of a king
  20. snap — to click
  21. clip — a video
  22. clip — to cut
  23. band — a ring
  24. court — of law

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