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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. deal — to handle
  3. sharp — clever
  4. stand — to bear
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. game — wild animals
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. wax — to grow
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. hand — help
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bark — to shout
  18. hand — in cards
  19. game — a match
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. bound — certain

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