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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. press — to push
  4. ball — a dance
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. mate — a partner
  7. press — newspapers
  8. press — a publisher
  9. key — in music
  10. mate — a friend
  11. band — a music group
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. band — a ring
  15. mark — a grade
  16. mark — a trace
  17. mate — to breed
  18. ball — a great time
  19. key — the most important part
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. key — for a lock
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. wax — to grow

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