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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  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 ring
  2. track — to keep track
  3. can — a tin
  4. track — a song
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — an injury
  7. net — after costs
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. net — for catching
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. net — in sport
  12. bass — low music
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. root — of a word
  15. root — the cause
  16. root — of a plant
  17. bass — the fish
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — to be able to
  20. wax — to grow
  21. track — a path
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  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