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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: temple · wax · cue · current · cap · club · band · season

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. club — a group
  4. band — a ring
  5. current — electric
  6. cap — a lid
  7. cap — of ice
  8. wax — to grow
  9. band — a music group
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. cue — a signal
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. cue — a hint
  14. cue — for pool
  15. season — in sport
  16. club — for golf
  17. season — of the year
  18. club — for dancing
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. current — of water
  22. current — happening now
  23. cap — a hat
  24. band — a rubber band

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