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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. bound — certain
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. wake — a trail
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. pop — music
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. dip — to sink
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. pop — soda
  13. pop — to visit
  14. mate — to breed
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. mate — a partner
  17. mate — a friend
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. bound — obliged
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. bound — tied together

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