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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. suit — clothes
  6. squash — to crush
  7. wax — to grow
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. suit — to fit
  11. squash — the sport
  12. content — the amount
  13. suit — in cards
  14. foot — a measure
  15. content — happy
  16. rule — a law
  17. band — a music group
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. rule — government
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. squash — the vegetable

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