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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: face · chest · band · prune · jam · stick · wax · saw

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — of your body
  6. face — to point toward
  7. saw — the tool
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. chest — a box
  10. saw — the tool
  11. face — to confront
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. prune — to trim
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. wax — to grow
  17. prune — to trim
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. band — a music group
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. band — a ring
  24. face — part of the head

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