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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. bound — obliged
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. bound — tied together
  13. rock — music
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. season — in sport
  16. rock — a stone
  17. wax — to grow
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. season — of the year
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. deal — to handle
  24. wax — in the ear

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