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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: bound · lean · squash · dip · cold · wax · pop · bowl

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. bound — obliged
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. cold — not warm
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. pop — music
  12. bound — tied together
  13. pop — soda
  14. dip — to sink
  15. squash — to crush
  16. lean — thin
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. pop — to visit
  19. lean — to bend
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. wax — to grow
  22. cold — an illness
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. squash — the sport

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