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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. rock — a stone
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. press — to push
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. press — newspapers
  9. wax — to grow
  10. rock — music
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. press — a publisher
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. band — a ring
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. clip — for paper
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. clip — a video
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. clip — to cut

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