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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: mate · object · land · present · wax · fan · band · last

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. last — final
  3. mate — a friend
  4. land — ground
  5. object — an aim
  6. wax — to grow
  7. land — to come down
  8. land — a country
  9. last — to go on
  10. band — a ring
  11. present — a gift
  12. band — a music group
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. object — to protest
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. last — finally
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. present — there
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. present — the time now
  21. mate — a partner
  22. object — a thing
  23. mate — to breed
  24. fan — to cool the air

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