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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. mark — a trace
  7. squash — to crush
  8. club — a group
  9. club — for dancing
  10. spring — a coil
  11. wax — to grow
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. club — for golf
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. squash — the sport
  16. bound — certain
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. bound — tied together
  19. mark — a grade
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. stand — to bear
  22. spring — of water
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. spring — the season

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