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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. bound — certain
  3. field — a subject
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. deal — to handle
  7. roll — a cake
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. field — for sport
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. last — to go on
  13. roll — a list
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. field — farmland
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. wax — to grow
  18. wake — a trail
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. last — final
  21. kick — in football
  22. last — finally
  23. bound — tied together
  24. kick — with a leg

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