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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 116 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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. band — a music group
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. rest — what's left
  9. court — of law
  10. mug — a cup
  11. mug — to rob
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. bore — to drill
  14. rest — what's left
  15. prune — to trim
  16. wax — to grow
  17. court — for sport
  18. prune — to trim
  19. band — a ring
  20. mug — a face
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. rest — a break
  23. court — of a king
  24. bore — to tire

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