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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. rest — what's left
  3. current — electric
  4. scale — size or range
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. rest — a break
  7. scale — in music
  8. pop — music
  9. rest — what's left
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. net — in sport
  12. band — a music group
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. current — happening now
  15. band — a ring
  16. current — of water
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. club — for golf
  19. pop — to visit
  20. wax — to grow
  21. club — for dancing
  22. net — after costs
  23. net — for catching
  24. pop — soda

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