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

Word bank: wax · bound · swing · race · clip · lean · nail · bulb

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. swing — music
  3. bound — certain
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. bound — obliged
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. bound — tied together
  8. bulb — for light
  9. race — a contest
  10. race — the arms race
  11. clip — for paper
  12. clip — a video
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. lean — to bend
  17. bulb — for light
  18. clip — to cut
  19. swing — in golf
  20. lean — thin
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. wax — to grow
  24. race — humankind

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