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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. wound — an injury
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. deal — to handle
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. band — a music group
  10. drill — the tool
  11. drill — army training
  12. drill — a practice
  13. pop — music
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wax — to grow
  16. chip — to eat
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. band — a ring
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. pop — to visit
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. pop — soda

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