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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: pound · bound · ball · face · cap · wax · staff · hand

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. ball — a great time
  3. face — to confront
  4. hand — in cards
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. hand — help
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. bound — tied together
  10. face — part of the head
  11. cap — of ice
  12. face — to point toward
  13. staff — a stick
  14. bound — obliged
  15. pound — a weight
  16. ball — a dance
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. staff — employees
  20. staff — employees
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. cap — a hat
  23. cap — a lid
  24. wax — to grow

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