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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: band · cabinet · pop · bay · jam · swing · wax · march

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. march — the month
  3. band — a ring
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. swing — to play on
  7. pop — music
  8. march — music
  9. band — a music group
  10. swing — music
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. swing — in golf
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. march — the month
  17. pop — soda
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. wax — to grow
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. pop — to visit

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