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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. rest — what's left
  3. mate — to breed
  4. rest — what's left
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. row — to paddle
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. band — a ring
  10. bulb — for light
  11. row — a line
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. mate — a partner
  14. bat — the animal
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. wax — to grow
  17. stock — shares
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. rest — a break
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. bulb — for light
  23. mate — a friend
  24. stock — goods

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