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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: bark · ground · wax · cap · bore · band · bound · cue

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. cue — for pool
  3. ground — crushed
  4. bound — certain
  5. band — a music group
  6. bound — obliged
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bore — to drill
  13. wax — to grow
  14. ground — a position
  15. bark — to shout
  16. bore — to tire
  17. cap — a hat
  18. band — a ring
  19. cue — a hint
  20. cue — a signal
  21. ground — the earth
  22. cap — of ice
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. cap — a lid

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