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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. band — a ring
  3. rule — a law
  4. rule — government
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. cap — of ice
  13. club — a group
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. wax — to grow
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. rash — hasty
  19. rash — a series
  20. cap — a hat
  21. sharp — clever
  22. club — for dancing
  23. club — for golf
  24. band — a music group

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