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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. bark — to shout
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. bound — certain
  5. bound — obliged
  6. suit — to fit
  7. rock — music
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. deal — to handle
  11. clip — a video
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. rock — a stone
  14. bound — tied together
  15. club — for dancing
  16. suit — clothes
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. club — for golf
  20. clip — to cut
  21. clip — for paper
  22. club — a group
  23. wax — to grow
  24. suit — in cards

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