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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'll be taking the ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. tube — the underground
  3. march — the month
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. game — a match
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. march — the month
  9. plane — a tool
  10. bound — tied together
  11. pop — to visit
  12. bound — certain
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. tube — a container
  15. march — music
  16. game — wild animals
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. wax — to grow
  20. pop — soda
  21. pop — music
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. wax — in the ear

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