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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: fine · prune · game · wax · lash · band · bat · object

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. prune — to trim
  5. object — an aim
  6. game — wild animals
  7. bat — the animal
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. fine — all right
  10. band — a music group
  11. game — a match
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. fine — high quality
  14. object — a thing
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. band — a ring
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. wax — to grow
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. prune — to trim
  23. object — to protest
  24. band — a rubber band

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