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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 was ________________ to happen.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  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. bound — certain
  2. deal — to handle
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. wax — to grow
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. hand — help
  8. clip — to cut
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. shower — rain
  12. clip — for paper
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. hand — in cards
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. clip — a video
  18. bass — low music
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bound — obliged
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. shower — to wash
  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