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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 120 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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. bound — certain
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. pound — a weight
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. club — for dancing
  7. bound — tied together
  8. content — the amount
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. bound — obliged
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. content — happy
  13. rush — hurry
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. wake — a trail
  17. wax — to grow
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. row — to paddle
  20. club — a group
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. row — a line
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. wax — in the ear

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