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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 116 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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. rest — what's left
  3. saw — the tool
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. rest — a break
  6. wax — to grow
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. row — to paddle
  9. saw — the tool
  10. degree — from a university
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. last — finally
  16. last — to go on
  17. band — a music group
  18. row — a line
  19. rest — what's left
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. last — final
  22. degree — an amount
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. degree — temperature

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