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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wax · band · chip · suit · tube · mine · cell · track

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. track — a song
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. chip — for betting
  6. cell — in biology
  7. tube — the underground
  8. cell — a phone
  9. band — a ring
  10. track — a path
  11. suit — clothes
  12. track — to keep track
  13. band — a music group
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. chip — to eat
  16. wax — to grow
  17. tube — a container
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. mine — for digging
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. suit — to fit
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. cell — in a prison

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