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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: staff · band · drill · tube · wax · rest · clip · firm

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. staff — a stick
  4. tube — the underground
  5. clip — to cut
  6. drill — army training
  7. firm — decided
  8. wax — to grow
  9. clip — for paper
  10. firm — a company
  11. clip — a video
  12. drill — the tool
  13. rest — what's left
  14. firm — steady
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. rest — a break
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. drill — a practice
  19. staff — employees
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. band — a music group
  22. staff — employees
  23. band — a ring
  24. rest — what's left

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