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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. rock — a stone
  4. foot — a measure
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bound — obliged
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wax — to grow
  13. rock — music
  14. spring — the season
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. spring — of water
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. hand — in cards
  19. hand — help
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. spring — a coil
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. wound — an injury

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