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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 120 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: band · bass · wax · bat · nail · present · rash · fine

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wax — to grow
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. present — the time now
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. fine — all right
  10. bat — the animal
  11. rash — hasty
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. present — there
  14. fine — high quality
  15. band — a ring
  16. bass — the fish
  17. present — a gift
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. bass — low music
  20. band — a music group
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. rash — a series

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