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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.

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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. kick — in football
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. bound — tied together
  6. last — finally
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. bound — certain
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. wind — moving air
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. bound — obliged
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. pound — a weight
  15. wax — to grow
  16. wind — moving air
  17. last — final
  18. last — to go on

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