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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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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: date · band · wax · shower · board · mug · saw · swing

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. swing — to play on
  5. swing — in golf
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. shower — to wash
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. board — to get on
  11. band — a music group
  12. mug — a face
  13. date — the fruit
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. saw — the tool
  17. mug — to rob
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. shower — rain
  20. wax — to grow
  21. board — a committee
  22. saw — the tool
  23. band — a ring
  24. swing — music

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