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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 was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. suit — to fit
  5. ground — crushed
  6. suit — in cards
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. wax — to grow
  10. band — a music group
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. stand — to bear
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. dip — to sink
  17. suit — clothes
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. ground — the earth
  20. mine — for digging
  21. ground — a position
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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