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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 120 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 refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. mug — to rob
  4. band — a music group
  5. club — a group
  6. drill — the tool
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. pit — a hole
  10. drill — a practice
  11. pit — in a race
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. stem — to come from
  14. mug — a face
  15. bound — obliged
  16. club — for golf
  17. bound — tied together
  18. band — a ring
  19. bound — certain
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. club — for dancing
  22. wax — to grow
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. drill — army training

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