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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.

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: bore · wind · wake · wax · bear · bound · club · season

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. bear — the animal
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. club — a group
  10. wake — a trail
  11. wax — to grow
  12. season — of the year
  13. season — in sport
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. club — for dancing
  18. bound — tied together
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bound — certain
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. club — for golf
  23. bore — to drill
  24. bound — obliged

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