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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. date — the fruit
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. bound — tied together
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. content — the amount
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. object — to protest
  18. wax — to grow
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. object — a thing
  21. object — an aim
  22. bound — certain
  23. bound — obliged
  24. content — videos and posts

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