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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: wax · ball · march · bound · cue · leaves · mine · cell

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. cell — in biology
  3. bound — tied together
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. march — the month
  6. ball — a great time
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. march — the month
  9. cue — a hint
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. cue — a signal
  12. cell — a phone
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mine — for digging
  17. march — music
  18. ball — a dance
  19. cue — for pool
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. wax — to grow
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bound — certain
  24. mine — an explosive

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