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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. band — a ring
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. root — of a plant
  6. lie — to recline
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. ground — the earth
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. kick — in football
  14. root — the cause
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. ground — crushed
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. ground — a position
  19. root — of a word
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. pass — a permit
  22. mine — for digging
  23. wax — to grow
  24. pass — to spend time

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