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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. band — a ring
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. rock — a stone
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. band — a music group
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. pitch — completely
  10. degree — from a university
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. wax — to grow
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. degree — temperature
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. pop — music
  17. degree — an amount
  18. bass — the fish
  19. rock — music
  20. pop — soda
  21. stem — to come from
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. bass — low music
  24. pop — to visit

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