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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.

Make a worksheet

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: band · fine · bowl · wax · chest · squash · craft · fan

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. wax — to grow
  4. chest — of your body
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. fine — all right
  7. chest — a box
  8. band — a music group
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. band — a ring
  13. craft — a skill
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. squash — the sport
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. craft — boats
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. fine — high quality
  22. chest — of your body
  23. squash — to crush
  24. fan — a supporter

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