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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: chair · band · wake · rash · rule · cabinet · wax · can

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. wax — to grow
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. can — a tin
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. rash — a series
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. can — to be able to
  16. chair — a leader
  17. rule — a law
  18. rash — hasty
  19. rule — government
  20. wake — a trail
  21. band — a music group
  22. band — a ring
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. cabinet — ministers

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