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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. fine — high quality
  3. clip — to cut
  4. clip — a video
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bass — the fish
  7. band — a ring
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. bear — the animal
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. bass — low music
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. fine — all right
  14. clip — for paper
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. bear — the animal
  17. season — of the year
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. season — in sport
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. wax — to grow
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. season — to add flavour

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