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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: cell · wake · season · chip · wax · bound · mug · dip

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. mug — a face
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. season — in sport
  7. cell — a phone
  8. mug — a cup
  9. dip — to sink
  10. chip — to eat
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. chip — for betting
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. bound — tied together
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. season — of the year
  17. wake — a trail
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. bound — certain
  20. cell — in biology
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. wax — to grow
  23. cell — in a prison
  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