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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: rash · wax · band · bound · tube · fine · wind · pitch

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. band — a music group
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. fine — all right
  6. pitch — completely
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. bound — tied together
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. rash — hasty
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. band — a ring
  14. bound — obliged
  15. fine — high quality
  16. bound — certain
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. tube — a container
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wax — to grow
  23. tube — the underground
  24. pitch — a sports field

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