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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. drill — a practice
  3. pop — music
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. band — a ring
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. pop — soda
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. band — a music group
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. drill — army training
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. pop — to visit
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. drill — the tool
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. wax — to grow
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. rush — hurry
  24. deal — to handle

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