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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. bass — the fish
  4. rash — a series
  5. wax — to grow
  6. spring — of water
  7. spring — a coil
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. sharp — clever
  11. spell — magic
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. lie — to recline
  15. band — a ring
  16. rash — hasty
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. spell — a short time
  20. band — a music group
  21. spring — the season
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. spell — letters
  24. bass — low music

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