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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. wax — to grow
  3. clip — for paper
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. cell — in biology
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. clip — a video
  9. lie — to recline
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. rush — hurry
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. cell — a phone
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. bound — tied together
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. clip — to cut
  23. bound — certain
  24. perch — the fish

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