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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: ball · suit · wax · band · bear · chip · chest · sharp

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. wax — to grow
  3. ball — a dance
  4. sharp — clever
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. bear — the animal
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. band — a ring
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. suit — in cards
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. chip — to eat
  13. chest — a box
  14. bear — the animal
  15. ball — a great time
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. suit — clothes
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chip — for betting
  21. suit — to fit
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. chest — of your body
  24. sharp — with an edge

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