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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.

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: land · wax · bound · patient · pit · mine · lash · band

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. land — ground
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. pit — a hole
  7. land — to come down
  8. mine — for digging
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. pit — in a race
  15. wax — to grow
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. land — a country
  19. band — a ring
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. bound — tied together
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bound — certain

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