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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. bound — obliged
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. bound — certain
  8. bound — tied together
  9. can — to be able to
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. cell — in biology
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. wax — to grow
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. game — wild animals
  16. can — a tin
  17. can — a tin
  18. cell — a phone
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. row — a line
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. game — a match
  24. row — to paddle

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