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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: chest · pitcher · wax · bound · net · board · pound · face

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. pound — a weight
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. bound — certain
  7. face — part of the head
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. net — in sport
  10. face — to confront
  11. board — to get on
  12. wax — to grow
  13. chest — a box
  14. face — to point toward
  15. chest — of your body
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. bound — tied together
  19. board — a committee
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. chest — of your body
  22. net — for catching
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. bound — obliged

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