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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 116 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: wax · pop · bound · bass · pass · chip · tear · lean

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. lean — to bend
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bass — low music
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. chip — to eat
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bound — certain
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. pop — soda
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. wax — to grow
  14. pass — a permit
  15. tear — from crying
  16. chip — for betting
  17. bass — the fish
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. tear — to rip
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bound — tied together
  23. lean — thin
  24. pop — music

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