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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: rush · club · row · cap · sharp · band · roll · wax

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. cap — a lid
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. row — a line
  7. club — for golf
  8. rush — hurry
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. row — to paddle
  12. cap — a hat
  13. roll — a list
  14. wax — to grow
  15. band — a ring
  16. cap — of ice
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. club — for dancing
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. roll — a cake
  22. club — a group
  23. band — a music group
  24. wax — for sculpting

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