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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. band — a ring
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. band — a music group
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. bass — the fish
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. rush — hurry
  15. bass — low music
  16. shower — rain
  17. shower — to wash
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. wax — to grow
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. scale — size or range

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