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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. kid — child
  4. staff — employees
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. kid — to tease
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. wax — to grow
  9. staff — a stick
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. key — the most important part
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. vault — a safe
  15. key — in music
  16. staff — employees
  17. bank — for money
  18. bank — of a river
  19. key — for a lock
  20. bank — for money
  21. band — a music group
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. bay — a horse colour

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