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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 120 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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. shower — to wash
  3. shower — rain
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. bound — obliged
  7. degree — from a university
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. band — a ring
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. wax — to grow
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. degree — temperature
  18. bound — certain
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. band — a music group
  21. degree — an amount
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. snap — to click
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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