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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — to be able to
  5. bound — certain
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. wax — to grow
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. pound — a weight
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bound — tied together
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. branch — a division
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. perch — the fish
  23. can — a tin
  24. date — the fruit

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