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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. swing — music
  3. lean — to bend
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. chair — a leader
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. lean — thin
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. swing — to play on
  11. swing — in golf
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. mug — a face
  14. mine — for digging
  15. lie — to recline
  16. mug — a cup
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bound — certain
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. wax — to grow
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. mug — to rob
  24. lie — an untruth

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