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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. face — to point toward
  4. spell — magic
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. rush — hurry
  7. spell — a short time
  8. staff — a stick
  9. wax — to grow
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. band — a music group
  12. pop — to visit
  13. mine — for digging
  14. band — a ring
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. staff — employees
  18. face — part of the head
  19. spell — letters
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. staff — employees
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. face — to confront
  24. pop — soda

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