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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. chest — a box
  4. wax — to grow
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. bound — certain
  8. present — the time now
  9. bound — tied together
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. present — a gift
  12. bound — obliged
  13. staff — employees
  14. present — there
  15. chest — of your body
  16. file — a document
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. staff — a stick
  19. staff — employees
  20. file — a line of people
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. file — a tool
  24. chest — of your body

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