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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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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: lie · wax · bear · rock · spell · lean · bound · drill

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. wax — to grow
  6. rock — music
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lean — to bend
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. spell — a short time
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. bear — the animal
  13. drill — army training
  14. spell — magic
  15. drill — a practice
  16. rock — a stone
  17. lie — to recline
  18. spell — letters
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bound — certain
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bound — obliged
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. lean — thin

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