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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 116 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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. season — in sport
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bound — certain
  6. stock — shares
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. march — the month
  9. march — the month
  10. wax — to grow
  11. march — music
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. stock — goods
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. charge — a price
  18. hand — help
  19. charge — electricity
  20. season — of the year
  21. hand — in cards
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. bear — the animal
  24. charge — in control

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