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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 · mate · wax · hand · can · land · arm · face

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mate — to breed
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. band — a music group
  8. hand — help
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — to be able to
  11. band — a ring
  12. face — to point toward
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. can — a tin
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. face — to confront
  17. mate — a partner
  18. wax — to grow
  19. land — ground
  20. land — a country
  21. hand — in cards
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. land — to come down
  24. face — part of the head

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