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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. drill — a practice
  4. saw — the tool
  5. band — a ring
  6. spell — a short time
  7. drill — the tool
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. drill — army training
  10. wax — to grow
  11. spell — letters
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. ball — a great time
  14. ground — a position
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. band — a music group
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. ground — crushed
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. spell — magic
  23. ball — a dance
  24. stem — to come from

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