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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. band — a music group
  3. present — a gift
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. swing — music
  6. swing — in golf
  7. track — a path
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. hand — help
  10. band — a ring
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. wax — to grow
  16. swing — to play on
  17. present — there
  18. wind — moving air
  19. track — to keep track
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. hand — in cards
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. present — the time now
  24. wind — moving air

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