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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bound — tied together
  6. face — to confront
  7. face — part of the head
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. band — a ring
  11. staff — a stick
  12. band — a music group
  13. squash — to crush
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. wax — to grow
  17. face — to point toward
  18. bound — certain
  19. staff — employees
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. perch — the fish
  22. staff — employees
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. squash — the sport

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