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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: content · chair · lash · bound · hide · bowl · wax · rush

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. rush — hurry
  3. bound — tied together
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. content — happy
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. wax — to grow
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. content — the amount
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. chair — a leader
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. bound — obliged
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. bound — certain

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