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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 must've been a ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. bound — tied together
  4. ground — the earth
  5. bound — certain
  6. wax — to grow
  7. rock — a stone
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. spell — letters
  10. spell — magic
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. band — a music group
  18. ground — a position
  19. ground — crushed
  20. rush — hurry
  21. spell — a short time
  22. band — a ring
  23. bound — obliged
  24. rock — music

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