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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: wax · band · pitcher · wind · bay · file · squash · temple

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. squash — the sport
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. wind — moving air
  10. file — a tool
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wind — moving air
  16. file — a document
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. squash — to crush
  21. band — a ring
  22. file — a line of people
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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