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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. bear — the animal
  3. file — a line of people
  4. wax — to grow
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. root — the cause
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. file — a document
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. root — of a word
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. band — a music group
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. root — of a plant
  19. bear — the animal
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. band — a ring
  22. vault — a safe
  23. file — a tool
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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