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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 116 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: wake · net · can · firm · chair · bound · spell · wax

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. net — after costs
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. bound — obliged
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. spell — magic
  7. spell — letters
  8. firm — decided
  9. can — to be able to
  10. spell — a short time
  11. firm — a company
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — a tin
  14. net — in sport
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. wake — a trail
  18. net — for catching
  19. firm — steady
  20. bound — certain
  21. wax — to grow
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. chair — a leader
  24. bound — tied together

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