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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · squash · band · toast · mark · land · saw · prune

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. mark — a grade
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. saw — the tool
  5. land — a country
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. wax — to grow
  8. squash — the sport
  9. saw — the tool
  10. band — a music group
  11. prune — to trim
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. land — to come down
  14. squash — to crush
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. land — ground
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. toast — bread
  21. mark — a trace
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. band — a ring
  24. prune — to trim

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