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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. staff — a stick
  4. ball — a great time
  5. fork — in a road
  6. object — to protest
  7. wax — to grow
  8. rest — a break
  9. ball — a dance
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — what's left
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. object — a thing
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. staff — employees
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. object — an aim
  19. band — a music group
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. staff — employees
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. patient — a sick person

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