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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 116 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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. bulb — for light
  5. band — a ring
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. firm — a company
  10. wax — to grow
  11. game — a match
  12. scale — in music
  13. firm — decided
  14. band — a music group
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. bulb — for light
  18. scale — size or range
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. branch — a division
  22. firm — steady
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. game — a kind of play

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