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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 drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. scale — size or range
  4. root — the cause
  5. scale — in music
  6. spring — of water
  7. pit — a hole
  8. track — a path
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. track — a song
  11. spring — the season
  12. pit — in a race
  13. root — of a word
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. band — a ring
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. band — a music group
  19. root — of a plant
  20. track — to keep track
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. spring — a coil
  23. wax — to grow
  24. wax — in the ear

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