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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · fork · wax · drill · plane · fine · chair · last

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  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. band — a ring
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. last — final
  7. wax — to grow
  8. drill — the tool
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. plane — a tool
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. fork — in a road
  13. last — to go on
  14. chair — a leader
  15. last — finally
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. fine — all right
  18. drill — a practice
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. drill — army training
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. band — a music group
  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