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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. content — the amount
  6. content — happy
  7. current — electric
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wax — to grow
  11. current — happening now
  12. snap — to click
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. band — a ring
  15. deal — to handle
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. current — of water
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. patient — a sick person

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