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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: spring · pitcher · date · kick · band · tear · ball · wax

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. band — a music group
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. ball — a dance
  11. spring — a coil
  12. kick — in football
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. tear — from crying
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. ball — a great time
  17. spring — the season
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. band — a ring
  20. spring — of water
  21. date — the fruit
  22. tear — from crying
  23. wax — to grow
  24. tear — to rip

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