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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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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: rock · wax · band · arm · object · scale · wound · race

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. rock — music
  3. object — to protest
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. object — an aim
  7. band — a ring
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. rock — a stone
  11. band — a music group
  12. scale — in music
  13. scale — size or range
  14. wound — an injury
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. race — the arms race
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. race — humankind
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. race — a contest
  21. wax — to grow
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. object — a thing
  24. band — a rubber band

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