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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 120 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: chip · mate · wax · present · rock · craft · band · swing

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. present — a gift
  3. mate — a friend
  4. mate — to breed
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. swing — music
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. mate — a partner
  9. band — a ring
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. rock — music
  12. craft — a skill
  13. swing — in golf
  14. craft — boats
  15. rock — a stone
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. present — the time now
  18. chip — for betting
  19. wax — to grow
  20. chip — to eat
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. swing — to play on
  24. present — there

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