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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: wax · degree · board · band · nail · rash · racket · land

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. band — a music group
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. rash — hasty
  5. band — a ring
  6. land — a country
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. rash — a series
  10. board — a committee
  11. degree — temperature
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. land — to come down
  14. land — ground
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. degree — from a university
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. wax — to grow
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. degree — an amount
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. nail — for a hammer

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