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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 116 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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. pound — a weight
  3. wax — to grow
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. current — electric
  6. bound — certain
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. current — happening now
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. current — of water
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. snap — to click
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cold — an illness
  18. cold — not warm
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. bound — obliged
  21. squash — to crush
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. squash — the sport
  24. cold — the Cold War

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