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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: deal · date · wax · band · pitch · spell · content · rest

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. content — the amount
  3. band — a ring
  4. spell — letters
  5. wax — to grow
  6. spell — a short time
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. rest — what's left
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. date — the fruit
  11. pitch — completely
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. spell — magic
  15. rest — what's left
  16. content — happy
  17. band — a music group
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. deal — to handle
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. rest — a break
  24. deal — an agreement

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