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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 · bear · bore · sharp · march · cell · calf · bound

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. march — the month
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. cell — a phone
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. bore — to drill
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. march — the month
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. sharp — clever
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. wax — to grow
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bore — to tire
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bound — certain
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. cell — in biology
  24. bound — tied together

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