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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: wax · dip · wound · board · stem · file · bound · band

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  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. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. file — a line of people
  3. band — a ring
  4. wax — to grow
  5. file — a document
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. bound — certain
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. wound — an injury
  11. board — a committee
  12. band — a music group
  13. bound — tied together
  14. wound — an injury
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. dip — to sink
  17. file — a tool
  18. bound — obliged
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. stem — to come from
  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