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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: bat · season · drill · stand · band · cap · wax · current

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. band — a ring
  5. wax — to grow
  6. stand — to bear
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. cap — of ice
  9. season — of the year
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. current — electric
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. drill — a practice
  14. cap — a hat
  15. current — of water
  16. drill — the tool
  17. current — happening now
  18. bat — the animal
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. band — a music group
  21. cap — a lid
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. season — in sport
  24. wax — for sculpting

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