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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. squash — the sport
  3. track — a path
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. track — to keep track
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. wax — to grow
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. squash — to crush
  14. scale — in music
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bound — certain
  20. track — a song
  21. scale — size or range
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. pitcher — a jug

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