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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: saw · wax · fork · kid · roll · band · leaves · perch

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. roll — a cake
  4. saw — the tool
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. kid — to tease
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. band — a ring
  16. band — a music group
  17. perch — the fish
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. saw — the tool
  22. kid — child
  23. roll — a list
  24. fork — in a road

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