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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. wax — to grow
  3. club — for golf
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. bound — tied together
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bound — certain
  10. club — for dancing
  11. club — a group
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. can — to be able to
  14. spring — the season
  15. lie — to recline
  16. can — a tin
  17. toast — bread
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. can — a tin
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. spring — of water

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