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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: tear · band · spell · bass · bore · chest · wake · wax

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bass — low music
  4. band — a ring
  5. chest — a box
  6. bore — to tire
  7. chest — of your body
  8. wake — a trail
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bore — to drill
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. spell — letters
  16. chest — of your body
  17. tear — to rip
  18. wax — to grow
  19. band — a music group
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. bass — the fish
  23. spell — magic
  24. spell — a short time

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