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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. bound — obliged
  3. club — a group
  4. club — for dancing
  5. hand — in cards
  6. club — for golf
  7. bound — tied together
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. cap — a lid
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bound — certain
  12. cap — a hat
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. hand — help
  19. fall — to drop
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. fall — the season
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. cap — of ice
  24. bark — of a tree

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