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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. row — a line
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. wax — to grow
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. fine — high quality
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. pop — soda
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. pop — music
  15. wake — a trail
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. pop — to visit
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. band — a ring
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. row — to paddle
  23. fine — all right
  24. fork — in a road

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