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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 124 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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. band — a music group
  3. present — there
  4. fine — all right
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. spell — magic
  8. spell — letters
  9. wax — to grow
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. spell — a short time
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. kick — in football
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. present — a gift
  21. band — a ring
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. present — the time now

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