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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: band · wax · mate · ground · scale · pop · net · bound

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. mate — a friend
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. ground — crushed
  5. net — for catching
  6. scale — in music
  7. pop — music
  8. mate — a partner
  9. bound — certain
  10. mate — to breed
  11. ground — the earth
  12. bound — obliged
  13. band — a music group
  14. pop — soda
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. wax — to grow
  17. net — after costs
  18. band — a ring
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. net — in sport
  21. bound — tied together
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. scale — size or range
  24. ground — a position

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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