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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. ground — a position
  3. band — a music group
  4. wax — to grow
  5. last — to go on
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. deal — to handle
  9. ground — crushed
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. band — a ring
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. last — finally
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. ground — the earth
  18. last — final
  19. rush — hurry
  20. branch — a division
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. ruler — a monarch

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