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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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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: suit · band · arm · stand · cold · bear · rash · wax

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. wax — to grow
  3. stand — to bear
  4. band — a ring
  5. suit — in cards
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. rash — a series
  10. suit — to fit
  11. bear — the animal
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. suit — clothes
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. rash — hasty
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. cold — an illness
  21. cold — not warm
  22. bear — the animal
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. stand — on your feet

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