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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. cue — for pool
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. ball — a great time
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wax — to grow
  8. band — a music group
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. rest — what's left
  12. fine — all right
  13. ball — a dance
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. cue — a hint
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — a break
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. prune — to trim
  21. cue — a signal
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. fine — high quality
  24. prune — to trim

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