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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. squash — the sport
  3. bound — tied together
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. clip — for paper
  7. suit — clothes
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. suit — to fit
  12. bound — obliged
  13. band — a ring
  14. squash — to crush
  15. tube — the underground
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. band — a music group
  18. clip — to cut
  19. wax — to grow
  20. suit — in cards
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. tube — a container
  23. clip — a video
  24. bound — certain

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