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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: swing · straw · bore · band · saw · fan · bay · wax

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. swing — music
  4. wax — to grow
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. swing — in golf
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. band — a ring
  10. band — a music group
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. saw — the tool
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. bore — to tire
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. saw — the tool
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. bore — to drill
  24. straw — a straw man

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