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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: wind · racket · lean · wax · band · hide · lie · date

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wind — moving air
  5. lean — to bend
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. band — a music group
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. date — the fruit
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lean — thin
  17. wax — to grow
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. band — a ring
  21. wind — moving air
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. lie — to recline

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