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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. chip — for betting
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. game — wild animals
  8. wax — to grow
  9. band — a ring
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. pass — a permit
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. stem — to come from
  20. game — a match
  21. band — a music group
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. chip — to eat
  24. game — a kind of play

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