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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wax — to grow
  7. bound — tied together
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. land — to come down
  10. bound — obliged
  11. pass — a permit
  12. wound — an injury
  13. land — a country
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. land — ground
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. snap — to click
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. safe — out of danger

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