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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. current — of water
  7. bass — the fish
  8. band — a music group
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. tube — the underground
  11. branch — a division
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. pop — music
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. tube — a container
  16. current — electric
  17. current — happening now
  18. pop — soda
  19. wax — to grow
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. bass — low music
  22. band — a ring
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. pop — to visit

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