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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 · bass · chip · tube · bore · cell · wound · bowl

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. bass — low music
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bore — to tire
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. bass — the fish
  9. tube — a container
  10. chip — to eat
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. tube — the underground
  13. chip — for betting
  14. bore — to drill
  15. cell — in biology
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. wax — to grow
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. cell — a phone

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