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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.

Make a worksheet

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: band · game · safe · wind · ball · bass · wax · bowl

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  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. bowl — a dish
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. game — a match
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. bass — the fish
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. wax — to grow
  11. band — a music group
  12. game — wild animals
  13. band — a ring
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. wind — moving air
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. ball — a great time
  18. wind — moving air
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. bass — low music
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. ball — a dance
  23. wind — to turn a key
  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