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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. bound — certain
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. squash — to crush
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. bass — the fish
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. tear — from crying
  15. perch — the fish
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. bass — low music
  19. wax — to grow
  20. squash — the sport
  21. tear — to rip
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. tear — from crying
  24. bound — tied together

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