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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 120 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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. shower — rain
  4. bound — obliged
  5. chair — a leader
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. key — the most important part
  12. shower — to wash
  13. bound — tied together
  14. prune — to trim
  15. key — for a lock
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. key — in music
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. wax — to grow
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. prune — to trim

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