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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: wax · mark · bore · present · wake · clip · bound · march

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  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 — obliged
  2. mark — a trace
  3. clip — for paper
  4. mark — a grade
  5. march — the month
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. march — the month
  9. march — music
  10. present — the time now
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. bound — tied together
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. wake — a trail
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. present — a gift
  17. present — there
  18. clip — to cut
  19. bore — to drill
  20. clip — a video
  21. bore — to tire
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. bound — certain
  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