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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 116 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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. bound — tied together
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. scale — in music
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. wax — to grow
  10. bulb — for light
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. fall — the season
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bulb — for light
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. content — happy
  20. scale — size or range
  21. fall — to drop
  22. bound — certain
  23. content — the amount
  24. bulb — of a plant

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