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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: wake · ball · band · wax · nail · cell · clip · mine

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. wake — a trail
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. ball — a great time
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. cell — in biology
  10. clip — to cut
  11. mine — for digging
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. ball — a dance
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. clip — a video
  20. clip — for paper
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. band — a ring
  23. cell — a phone
  24. wax — to grow

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