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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. bound — tied together
  3. content — happy
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. chair — a leader
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. bound — obliged
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. bound — certain
  13. cap — a lid
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. drill — army training
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. cap — a hat
  19. drill — a practice
  20. branch — a division
  21. content — the amount
  22. drill — the tool
  23. rush — hurry
  24. chair — to sit on

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