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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: current · stem · coach · wax · bound · ruler · band · march

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. stem — to come from
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. band — a music group
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. bound — obliged
  8. current — happening now
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. band — a ring
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. bound — certain
  13. march — music
  14. current — electric
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. march — the month
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. current — of water
  19. march — the month
  20. bound — tied together
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. wax — to grow

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