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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 · patient · plane · band · spring · board · leaves · wound

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. wound — an injury
  3. plane — a tool
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. spring — of water
  6. board — to get on
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. spring — a coil
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. wax — to grow
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. band — a music group
  19. spring — the season
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. wound — an injury
  22. board — a committee
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. leaves — lets stay

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