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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. content — happy
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. rock — music
  6. wake — a trail
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. wound — an injury
  9. rock — a stone
  10. wax — to grow
  11. bound — tied together
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. mate — a friend
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. bound — certain
  17. content — the amount
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. ball — a dance
  20. wound — an injury
  21. mate — to breed
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. ball — a great time
  24. mate — a partner

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