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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. suit — in cards
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. game — wild animals
  5. bound — obliged
  6. roll — a list
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. wound — an injury
  9. game — a match
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bore — to drill
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. pop — music
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. roll — a cake
  18. pop — to visit
  19. wax — to grow
  20. suit — clothes
  21. bound — certain
  22. bore — to tire
  23. suit — to fit
  24. pop — soda

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