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

Word bank: saw · band · last · stand · staff · lash · ground · wax

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. band — a ring
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. last — final
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. saw — the tool
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. staff — a stick
  10. stand — to bear
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. ground — a position
  15. band — a music group
  16. ground — the earth
  17. staff — employees
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. staff — employees
  20. saw — the tool
  21. ground — crushed
  22. last — finally
  23. last — to go on
  24. wax — to grow

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