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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: bound · march · jam · wax · cell · perch · bass · tube

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. tube — a container
  4. cell — a phone
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. bound — tied together
  9. cell — in biology
  10. bass — low music
  11. wax — to grow
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. march — music
  14. bound — certain
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. bound — obliged
  18. perch — the fish
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. tube — the underground
  23. bass — the fish
  24. march — the month

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