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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. stem — to come from
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. row — a line
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. cue — for pool
  8. fine — all right
  9. wax — to grow
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. cue — a signal
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. fork — in a road
  16. band — a ring
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. cue — a hint
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. row — to paddle
  23. fine — high quality
  24. band — a music group

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