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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. club — a group
  4. bound — certain
  5. charge — a price
  6. charge — electricity
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. craft — a skill
  9. wax — to grow
  10. club — for dancing
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. fine — high quality
  13. club — for golf
  14. craft — boats
  15. bear — the animal
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. charge — in control
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. bear — the animal
  20. rash — a series
  21. rash — hasty
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bound — tied together

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