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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: tube · bound · perch · wax · net · field · lean · bulb

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wax — to grow
  3. bound — certain
  4. tube — the underground
  5. net — for catching
  6. tube — a container
  7. bulb — for light
  8. field — a subject
  9. bulb — for light
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. bound — tied together
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. net — in sport
  17. net — after costs
  18. lean — thin
  19. bound — obliged
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. field — for sport
  22. perch — the fish
  23. lean — to bend
  24. field — farmland

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