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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: stick · trunk · wax · branch · march · bass · board · bound

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. wax — to grow
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bound — certain
  5. march — the month
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. board — to get on
  13. bass — the fish
  14. march — the month
  15. bass — low music
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. march — music
  20. branch — a division
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. bound — obliged
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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