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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  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. stem — of a plant
  3. stem — to come from
  4. drill — army training
  5. fine — all right
  6. mug — to rob
  7. fine — high quality
  8. bass — low music
  9. drill — a practice
  10. mug — a face
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. bass — the fish
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. drill — the tool
  16. wax — to grow
  17. mug — a cup
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. wax — in the ear
  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