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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: bay · band · game · content · bowl · firm · wax · clip

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. game — a match
  3. band — a ring
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. band — a music group
  6. firm — decided
  7. game — wild animals
  8. clip — for paper
  9. content — the amount
  10. firm — a company
  11. firm — steady
  12. content — happy
  13. clip — to cut
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. clip — a video
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. wax — to grow

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