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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · present · wake · kid · bound · bass · cap · tube

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  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. tube — a container
  2. cap — of ice
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. bound — obliged
  5. kid — child
  6. bass — low music
  7. present — there
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. present — the time now
  11. tube — the underground
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bound — certain
  14. present — a gift
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. bass — the fish
  18. cap — a lid
  19. wax — to grow
  20. cap — a hat
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. wake — a trail
  23. kid — to tease
  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