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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. foot — a measure
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. band — a music group
  9. fine — high quality
  10. capital — a city
  11. tear — to rip
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. wax — to grow
  15. capital — money
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. tear — from crying
  18. band — a ring
  19. pop — to visit
  20. pop — soda
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. tear — from crying
  23. fine — all right
  24. nail — on a finger

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