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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. firm — a company
  4. dip — to sink
  5. rash — hasty
  6. land — to come down
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. band — a music group
  9. land — ground
  10. spell — letters
  11. land — a country
  12. spell — a short time
  13. firm — steady
  14. rash — a series
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. band — a ring
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. rule — a law
  20. wax — to grow
  21. rule — government
  22. spell — magic
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. wax — for sculpting

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