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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
468
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: present · key · pitcher · fine · band · wax · stock · mine

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. fine — high quality
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. present — a gift
  7. key — the most important part
  8. key — for a lock
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. mine — for digging
  11. stock — goods
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. present — there
  14. present — the time now
  15. wax — to grow
  16. key — in music
  17. band — a music group
  18. stock — shares
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. fine — all right
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. mine — an explosive

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