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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · march · stand · scale · cell · chair · band · current

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. band — a ring
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. march — music
  5. current — happening now
  6. current — electric
  7. cell — in biology
  8. march — the month
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. band — a music group
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. scale — in music
  17. stand — to bear
  18. march — the month
  19. cell — a phone
  20. wax — to grow
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. current — of water
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. chair — a leader

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