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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: shower · lean · season · saw · bound · foot · chair · wax

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. bound — tied together
  4. season — of the year
  5. saw — the tool
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. lean — thin
  9. foot — a measure
  10. shower — to wash
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. wax — to grow
  13. bound — certain
  14. shower — rain
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. saw — the tool
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. lean — to bend
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. season — in sport
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. chair — a leader

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