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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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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: chest · band · cap · pop · wax · cell · stand · bear

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. cap — a hat
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. pop — music
  5. cell — a phone
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. wax — to grow
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. bear — the animal
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. chest — of your body
  12. cap — of ice
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bear — the animal
  15. pop — soda
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. band — a music group
  19. band — a ring
  20. pop — to visit
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. stand — to bear
  23. cap — a lid
  24. chest — a box

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