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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 put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. season — of the year
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. stem — to come from
  9. band — a ring
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. perch — the fish
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. season — in sport
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. suit — in cards
  16. chair — a leader
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. suit — clothes
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. wax — to grow
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. suit — to fit
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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