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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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. root — of a word
  3. track — to keep track
  4. press — a publisher
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. mate — a friend
  7. root — of a plant
  8. wax — to grow
  9. chest — a box
  10. mate — to breed
  11. chest — of your body
  12. track — a path
  13. chest — of your body
  14. press — newspapers
  15. band — a ring
  16. root — the cause
  17. bore — to drill
  18. band — a music group
  19. press — to push
  20. track — a song
  21. mate — a partner
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. bore — to tire
  24. bore — gave birth

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