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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. scale — in music
  3. bound — certain
  4. face — part of the head
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. content — happy
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. bound — obliged
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. face — to confront
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. content — the amount
  15. face — to point toward
  16. scale — size or range
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. plane — a tool
  19. wax — to grow
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. mine — for digging
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. stand — to bear
  24. wax — for sculpting

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