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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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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: wind · firm · jam · march · band · wax · fall · shower

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. wind — moving air
  3. march — music
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. firm — steady
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. wax — to grow
  8. firm — a company
  9. wind — moving air
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. shower — rain
  14. fall — to drop
  15. march — the month
  16. shower — to wash
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. band — a music group
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. firm — decided
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. fall — the season
  23. fall — to drop
  24. march — the month

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