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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: board · stem · band · can · wax · bark · face · bound

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. face — to confront
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. bound — obliged
  8. face — to point toward
  9. stem — to come from
  10. wax — to grow
  11. bound — tied together
  12. can — a tin
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. face — part of the head
  17. can — to be able to
  18. bark — to shout
  19. band — a ring
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. bound — certain
  22. band — a music group
  23. board — a committee
  24. board — to get on

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