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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: cell · wax · toast · club · board · tube · chair · bound

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. bound — tied together
  3. cell — a phone
  4. tube — a container
  5. club — for golf
  6. club — for dancing
  7. bound — certain
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. chair — a leader
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. cell — in biology
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. toast — bread
  15. club — a group
  16. bound — obliged
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. tube — the underground
  19. wax — to grow
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. board — a committee
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. wax — for sculpting

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