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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: date · bound · stick · pitcher · mark · band · wax · stand

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. wax — to grow
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. band — a ring
  9. bound — obliged
  10. band — a music group
  11. mark — a grade
  12. bound — certain
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. mark — a trace
  15. stand — to bear
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. date — the fruit
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. bound — tied together
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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