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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: rock · firm · wave · wax · band · straw · ground · race

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. ground — a position
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. ground — crushed
  6. rock — a stone
  7. firm — a company
  8. wax — to grow
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. firm — decided
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. ground — the earth
  16. race — the arms race
  17. race — a contest
  18. rock — music
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. firm — steady
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. band — a music group
  24. race — humankind

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