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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. band — a music group
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. degree — temperature
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. kick — in football
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. degree — an amount
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. wax — to grow
  12. charge — in control
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. charge — a price
  15. root — of a word
  16. charge — electricity
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. wake — a trail
  19. degree — from a university
  20. root — of a plant
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. root — the cause
  24. pound — a weight

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