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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. staff — a stick
  4. pop — soda
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. rush — hurry
  8. pop — to visit
  9. staff — employees
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. wax — to grow
  12. degree — an amount
  13. degree — temperature
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. band — a ring
  17. staff — employees
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. band — a music group
  24. degree — from a university

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