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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.

Make a worksheet

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: bear · wax · tube · wind · perch · court · bound · charge

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  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. wax — to grow
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. bound — certain
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. court — of a king
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. tube — the underground
  11. charge — electricity
  12. charge — in control
  13. court — of law
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. bound — obliged
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. tube — a container
  19. bear — the animal
  20. charge — a price
  21. perch — the fish
  22. court — for sport
  23. wind — moving air
  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