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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: band · lean · rash · drill · chip · content · wax · club

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. rash — a series
  3. club — for golf
  4. wax — to grow
  5. lean — thin
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. drill — a practice
  8. band — a music group
  9. drill — army training
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. content — the amount
  14. club — for dancing
  15. content — happy
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. lean — to bend
  19. drill — the tool
  20. rash — hasty
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. chip — for betting
  23. band — a ring
  24. chip — to eat

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