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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bat — the animal
  7. mark — a trace
  8. bound — tied together
  9. wax — to grow
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. mark — a grade
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bark — to shout
  19. hand — help
  20. hand — in cards
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. nail — for a hammer

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