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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: band · fall · date · fine · bat · wax · sharp · ball

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. band — a ring
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. fall — the season
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bat — the animal
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. wax — to grow
  12. sharp — clever
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fine — all right
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. band — a music group
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. date — the fruit
  21. fall — to drop
  22. ball — a great time
  23. ball — a dance
  24. fine — high quality

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