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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'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. cue — a hint
  3. cue — a signal
  4. game — wild animals
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. charge — a price
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. band — a ring
  11. scale — in music
  12. cue — for pool
  13. face — to confront
  14. charge — in control
  15. game — a match
  16. perch — the fish
  17. wax — to grow
  18. face — to point toward
  19. face — part of the head
  20. charge — electricity
  21. scale — size or range
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. band — a music group

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