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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: drill · bound · can · wind · kid · wax · mouse · bulb

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. wind — moving air
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. drill — army training
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bound — tied together
  8. kid — to tease
  9. can — a tin
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bound — obliged
  14. drill — the tool
  15. drill — a practice
  16. can — to be able to
  17. bound — certain
  18. bulb — for light
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. kid — child
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. mouse — for a computer
  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