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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. bound — obliged
  5. wound — an injury
  6. tear — from crying
  7. board — a committee
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. tear — to rip
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. bound — certain
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. bark — to shout
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. board — to get on
  17. pass — a permit
  18. tear — from crying
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. wax — to grow
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. wound — an injury
  24. patient — a sick person

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