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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bound · wax · game · cabinet · bulb · mine · can · bat

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. game — a match
  4. bound — certain
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. wax — to grow
  9. mine — for digging
  10. can — a tin
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bulb — for light
  13. can — to be able to
  14. bound — tied together
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. can — a tin
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. bound — obliged
  23. game — wild animals
  24. bat — in an idiom

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