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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 · tube · bat · club · bulb · wax · wind · nail

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. club — for dancing
  4. club — a group
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. bulb — for light
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. wax — to grow
  12. tube — a container
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. wind — moving air
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bound — certain
  18. bulb — for light
  19. tube — the underground
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. club — for golf
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. bound — tied together
  24. wind — moving air

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