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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 124 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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. drill — army training
  4. pitch — completely
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. scale — size or range
  10. drill — the tool
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. band — a ring
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. drill — a practice
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. bass — the fish
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. wax — to grow
  21. sharp — clever
  22. bass — low music
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. scale — in music

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