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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: cell · wax · mate · straw · bank · bulb · file · band

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — for light
  4. file — a document
  5. band — a music group
  6. mate — to breed
  7. file — a line of people
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. cell — a phone
  11. bank — for money
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. mate — a partner
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. bank — for money
  17. mate — a friend
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. file — a tool
  20. band — a ring
  21. wax — to grow
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. bank — of a river
  24. cell — in biology

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