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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. scale — size or range
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wax — to grow
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. cap — a hat
  9. cap — a lid
  10. band — a ring
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. bound — tied together
  13. band — a music group
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. season — in sport
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. season — of the year
  19. scale — in music
  20. cap — of ice
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. bound — certain
  24. season — to add flavour

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