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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: chair · current · foot · wax · cell · bulb · band · tube

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. tube — the underground
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. bulb — for light
  7. current — happening now
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. current — electric
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. cell — a phone
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. foot — a measure
  17. current — of water
  18. tube — a container
  19. cell — in biology
  20. bulb — for light
  21. chair — a leader
  22. wax — to grow
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. band — a ring

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