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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
468
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: chest · wax · season · row · drill · rock · bank · band

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. chest — of your body
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. wax — to grow
  5. season — in sport
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. rock — a stone
  8. rock — music
  9. bank — for money
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. drill — a practice
  12. chest — a box
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bank — of a river
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. bank — for money
  17. row — a line
  18. drill — army training
  19. band — a ring
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. band — a music group
  22. season — of the year
  23. row — to paddle
  24. rock — to move gently

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