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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: wax · mine · season · present · drill · band · row · club

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. present — a gift
  3. wax — to grow
  4. club — for golf
  5. drill — army training
  6. mine — for digging
  7. row — to paddle
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. drill — the tool
  10. present — there
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. band — a music group
  14. club — a group
  15. season — of the year
  16. season — in sport
  17. present — the time now
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. club — for dancing
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. drill — a practice
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. band — a ring

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