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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 · foot · spell · bass · shower · cell · rock · wax

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. shower — rain
  3. spell — letters
  4. bass — low music
  5. shower — to wash
  6. spell — magic
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. foot — a measure
  10. rock — a stone
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. band — a ring
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. cell — in biology
  16. wax — to grow
  17. rock — music
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. bass — the fish
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. band — a music group
  23. spell — a short time
  24. cell — a phone

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