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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. wax — to grow
  4. bulb — for light
  5. race — a contest
  6. season — of the year
  7. clip — for paper
  8. clip — to cut
  9. season — in sport
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. race — the arms race
  12. roll — a list
  13. track — a path
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. bulb — for light
  16. band — a ring
  17. clip — a video
  18. roll — a cake
  19. track — to keep track
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. band — a music group
  23. track — a song
  24. race — humankind

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