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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 116 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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. stand — to bear
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. wax — to grow
  5. season — of the year
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. bound — certain
  12. kid — to tease
  13. bound — obliged
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. kid — child
  17. season — in sport
  18. pitcher — a jug

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