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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. last — final
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. band — a music group
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. rock — music
  9. fine — high quality
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. root — of a plant
  12. rock — a stone
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. rush — hurry
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. root — of a word
  18. wax — to grow
  19. last — finally
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. root — the cause
  22. fine — all right
  23. last — to go on
  24. wax — for sculpting

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