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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. wax — to grow
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. tube — the underground
  7. key — the most important part
  8. saw — the tool
  9. clip — a video
  10. key — for a lock
  11. clip — to cut
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. tube — a container
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. bound — certain
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bound — tied together
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. chair — a leader
  23. clip — for paper
  24. key — in music

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