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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. clip — for paper
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. clip — a video
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. wind — moving air
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. rock — music
  10. band — a ring
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. band — a music group
  13. rush — hurry
  14. key — for a lock
  15. rock — a stone
  16. clip — to cut
  17. key — the most important part
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. wax — to grow
  23. wind — moving air
  24. key — 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