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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: ground · wax · plane · club · band · bay · leaves · bass

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. bass — low music
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. bass — the fish
  8. ground — a position
  9. band — a ring
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. ground — crushed
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. club — for golf
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. club — a group
  18. wax — to grow
  19. club — for dancing
  20. ground — the earth
  21. plane — a tool
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. band — a music group

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