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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. bound — obliged
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wake — a trail
  5. bore — to drill
  6. degree — temperature
  7. court — of a king
  8. wax — to grow
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. bore — to tire
  11. bound — certain
  12. bound — tied together
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. degree — an amount
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. court — of law
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. court — for sport

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