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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: wax · spell · chair · bulb · band · pit · fork · race

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. spell — magic
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. race — humankind
  6. race — the arms race
  7. pit — in a race
  8. bulb — for light
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. band — a ring
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. pit — a hole
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. race — a contest
  15. band — a music group
  16. spell — a short time
  17. fork — in a road
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. spell — letters
  20. chair — a leader
  21. wax — to grow
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. bulb — for light
  24. fork — a garden tool

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