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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: jam · lean · content · wax · band · charge · bore · march

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. bore — to tire
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. band — a music group
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. charge — in control
  8. lean — to bend
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. band — a ring
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. lean — thin
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. content — happy
  15. content — the amount
  16. charge — a price
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. bore — to drill
  19. charge — electricity
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. march — music
  22. wax — to grow
  23. march — the month
  24. content — videos and posts

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