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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: bank · swing · band · wax · trunk · wound · object · arm

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. object — to protest
  3. object — an aim
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. swing — in golf
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. object — a thing
  14. swing — music
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. swing — to play on
  17. bank — for money
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wound — an injury
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. band — a music group
  22. bank — of a river
  23. band — a ring
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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