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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. band — a music group
  3. rule — government
  4. dip — to sink
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. wax — to grow
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. perch — the fish
  14. rule — a law
  15. club — a group
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. club — for golf
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. club — for dancing
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. perch — for a bird

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