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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: firm · wax · prune · band · last · face · season · key

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. band — a music group
  3. last — finally
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. firm — decided
  7. season — in sport
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. band — a ring
  11. prune — to trim
  12. firm — steady
  13. face — part of the head
  14. wax — to grow
  15. key — for a lock
  16. prune — to trim
  17. face — to point toward
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. last — to go on
  20. face — to confront
  21. key — the most important part
  22. firm — a company
  23. season — of the year
  24. last — final

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