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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. wax — to grow
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. band — a music group
  10. band — a ring
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. hand — help
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. mate — a friend
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. pass — a permit
  17. mine — for digging
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. hand — in cards
  24. mate — to breed

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