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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 reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. chest — a box
  4. bear — the animal
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. tube — a container
  9. bound — certain
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. chest — of your body
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. bound — obliged
  16. tube — the underground
  17. last — finally
  18. mine — for digging
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. bear — the animal
  21. chest — of your body
  22. last — final
  23. wax — to grow
  24. last — to go 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