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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: firm · band · calf · present · pitcher · wax · stand · drill

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. band — a music group
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. wax — to grow
  6. drill — a practice
  7. present — a gift
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. drill — army training
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. present — there
  13. drill — the tool
  14. firm — decided
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. stand — to bear
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. firm — a company
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. present — the time now
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. firm — steady
  24. wax — in the ear

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