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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: wax · bulb · tube · lash · band · hide · key · game

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. game — a match
  3. game — wild animals
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. key — in music
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. bulb — for light
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. band — a music group
  13. key — the most important part
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. tube — the underground
  17. band — a ring
  18. bulb — for light
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. key — for a lock
  23. tube — a container
  24. tube — in a tire

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