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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: pound · roll · rock · march · band · cap · wax · racket

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. roll — a cake
  4. march — the month
  5. march — the month
  6. band — a music group
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. march — music
  9. wax — to grow
  10. rock — music
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. cap — a lid
  13. rock — a stone
  14. pound — a weight
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. band — a ring
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. cap — a hat
  23. cap — of ice
  24. roll — a list

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