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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. swing — music
  7. season — of the year
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. chair — a leader
  11. swing — to play on
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. band — a ring
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. swing — in golf
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. wax — to grow
  22. season — in sport
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. wax — for sculpting

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