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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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. last — to go on
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. last — final
  5. last — finally
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. roll — a list
  10. band — a ring
  11. rash — a series
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. band — a music group
  14. bulb — for light
  15. perch — the fish
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. rash — hasty
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. rush — hurry
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. bulb — for light
  24. roll — a cake

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