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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 · wax · board · ball · club · date · season · dip

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. band — a ring
  5. board — a committee
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. club — a group
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. date — the fruit
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. club — for golf
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. wax — to grow
  16. dip — to sink
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. board — to get on
  20. band — a music group
  21. club — for dancing
  22. ball — a dance
  23. season — of the year
  24. ball — a great time

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