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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: pop · band · mine · bound · staff · wax · ball · stem

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. pop — to visit
  3. pop — soda
  4. bound — certain
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. band — a ring
  7. staff — employees
  8. ball — a dance
  9. stem — to come from
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. staff — a stick
  13. bound — obliged
  14. band — a music group
  15. ball — a great time
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. pop — music
  20. bound — tied together
  21. mine — for digging
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. wax — to grow
  24. wax — in the ear

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