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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: drill · rock · bound · wax · band · clip · nail · chair

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. bound — obliged
  3. drill — a practice
  4. rock — a stone
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. drill — the tool
  9. band — a ring
  10. bound — certain
  11. clip — a video
  12. clip — for paper
  13. chair — a leader
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. band — a music group
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. clip — to cut
  18. bound — tied together
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. drill — army training
  23. rock — music
  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