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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: march · press · bound · wax · racket · mine · jam · wound

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  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. jam — a tight spot
  2. wax — to grow
  3. bound — obliged
  4. press — newspapers
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. bound — certain
  7. march — music
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. wound — an injury
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. bound — tied together
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. press — a publisher
  16. wound — an injury
  17. press — to push
  18. mine — for digging
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. march — the month
  23. march — the month
  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