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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bound — certain
  7. bank — for money
  8. bank — of a river
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. bore — to tire
  11. wax — to grow
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. last — final
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. pop — to visit
  16. pop — music
  17. last — to go on
  18. bank — for money
  19. bore — to drill
  20. prune — to trim
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. pop — soda

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