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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. cold — an illness
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. wax — to grow
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. cold — not warm
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. wake — a trail
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bound — certain
  23. stand — to bear
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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