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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. row — to paddle
  7. band — a music group
  8. band — a ring
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. wax — to grow
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. bulb — for light
  13. row — a line
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bulb — for light
  22. cell — a phone
  23. rash — a series
  24. rash — hasty

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