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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. board — a committee
  3. pop — music
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. swing — music
  7. bound — certain
  8. shower — to wash
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. pop — soda
  11. shower — rain
  12. swing — to play on
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. swing — in golf
  15. pop — to visit
  16. board — to get on
  17. bound — tied together
  18. wax — to grow

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