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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 120 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: kid · fall · pass · bore · suit · band · branch · wax

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. suit — in cards
  3. band — a music group
  4. band — a ring
  5. kid — child
  6. wax — to grow
  7. fall — the season
  8. kid — to tease
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. bore — to drill
  14. fall — to drop
  15. suit — clothes
  16. pass — a permit
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. fall — to drop
  20. bore — to tire
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. branch — a division
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. wax — in the ear

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