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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 120 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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. band — a music group
  3. wax — to grow
  4. wound — an injury
  5. bulb — for light
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. bulb — for light
  12. wound — an injury
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. band — a ring
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. scale — size or range
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. plane — a tool
  24. scale — in music

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