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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: cold · wax · bass · chest · bore · root · mug · bound

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. bound — certain
  3. bass — low music
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. mug — a face
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bore — to tire
  10. mug — to rob
  11. root — the cause
  12. cold — an illness
  13. cold — not warm
  14. chest — of your body
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. bass — the fish
  17. root — of a plant
  18. bound — tied together
  19. mug — a cup
  20. wax — to grow
  21. root — of a word
  22. bore — to drill
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. wax — for sculpting

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