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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. spring — a coil
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. spring — the season
  7. spring — of water
  8. fine — high quality
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. band — a music group
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. firm — steady
  15. rest — a break
  16. fine — all right
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. firm — a company
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. rest — what's left
  21. wax — to grow
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. rest — what's left
  24. firm — decided

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