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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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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 · wax · stand · rash · toast · swing · face · wind

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  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. wax — for sculpting
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. face — part of the head
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. band — a music group
  6. band — a ring
  7. swing — music
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. swing — in golf
  10. stand — to bear
  11. face — to point toward
  12. wax — to grow
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. swing — to play on
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. wind — moving air
  18. toast — bread
  19. rash — hasty
  20. rash — a series
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. face — to confront
  23. wind — moving air
  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