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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.

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: march · clip · chair · stem · bass · wax · fork · board

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. march — the month
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. clip — a video
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. bass — low music
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. stem — to come from
  15. board — a committee
  16. clip — for paper
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. fork — in a road
  19. march — music
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. board — to get on
  22. chair — a leader
  23. march — the month
  24. fork — to eat with

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