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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. band — a ring
  4. band — a music group
  5. wax — to grow
  6. chest — of your body
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. chest — a box
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. dip — to sink
  13. ground — the earth
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. mate — a partner
  20. mate — to breed
  21. ground — a position
  22. ground — crushed
  23. chest — of your body
  24. lie — to recline

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