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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: temple · cabinet · bat · clip · wound · face · wax · bound

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bat — the animal
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. clip — a video
  17. bound — certain
  18. face — to point toward
  19. face — to confront
  20. clip — for paper
  21. wound — an injury
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. face — part of the head
  24. clip — to cut

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