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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. lean — to bend
  3. track — a song
  4. band — a ring
  5. charge — a price
  6. pound — a weight
  7. net — for catching
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. track — to keep track
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. charge — in control
  14. charge — electricity
  15. track — a path
  16. lean — thin
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. net — after costs
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. wax — to grow
  21. net — in sport
  22. band — a music group
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. pound — for dogs

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