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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. shower — rain
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. pop — to visit
  5. key — for a lock
  6. pop — music
  7. key — the most important part
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. shower — to wash
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. key — in music
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. pop — soda
  21. band — a music group
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. patient — a sick person

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