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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 120 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: snap · bound · spring · bulb · band · mug · chair · wax

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. mug — a face
  6. spring — a coil
  7. wax — to grow
  8. bulb — for light
  9. band — a ring
  10. spring — of water
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. bulb — for light
  13. mug — a cup
  14. bound — tied together
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. snap — to click
  18. bound — certain
  19. mug — to rob
  20. chair — a leader
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. band — a music group
  23. spring — the season
  24. band — a rubber band

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