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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 120 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: rock · staff · march · bound · plane · can · kid · wax

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. can — a tin
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. march — the month
  6. march — the month
  7. bound — obliged
  8. wax — to grow
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. rock — music
  12. kid — to tease
  13. plane — a tool
  14. bound — tied together
  15. rock — a stone
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — employees
  18. march — music
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. can — a tin
  21. staff — a stick
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. kid — child
  24. bound — certain

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