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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: spell · wax · bank · object · band · net · prune · key

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. net — after costs
  3. bank — for money
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. spell — a short time
  6. net — in sport
  7. bank — for money
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. spell — magic
  10. bank — of a river
  11. net — for catching
  12. object — to protest
  13. prune — to trim
  14. object — an aim
  15. band — a ring
  16. key — the most important part
  17. key — in music
  18. band — a music group
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. key — for a lock
  22. spell — letters
  23. wax — to grow
  24. prune — to trim

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