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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 116 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: band · craft · fan · snap · pit · content · net · wax

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. pit — a hole
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. content — happy
  8. net — after costs
  9. craft — a skill
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. snap — to click
  13. craft — boats
  14. content — the amount
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. net — in sport
  18. pit — in a race
  19. wax — to grow
  20. band — a ring
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. net — for catching

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