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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: swing · row · foot · ball · cell · band · pass · wax

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. row — to paddle
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. band — a ring
  9. band — a music group
  10. foot — a measure
  11. swing — music
  12. cell — in biology
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. cell — a phone
  16. swing — to play on
  17. wax — to grow
  18. ball — a great time
  19. ball — a dance
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. row — a line
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. swing — in golf
  24. wax — in the ear

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