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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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. season — of the year
  4. cap — a hat
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. staff — employees
  7. cap — a lid
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. season — in sport
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. cap — of ice
  15. staff — a stick
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. wax — to grow
  18. hand — help
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. staff — employees
  21. plane — a tool
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. hand — in cards
  24. band — a ring

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