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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: squash · wax · bound · content · clip · face · rush · charge

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. content — the amount
  6. face — to point toward
  7. wax — to grow
  8. clip — for paper
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. charge — in control
  11. charge — a price
  12. content — happy
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. face — to confront
  16. bound — certain
  17. squash — the sport
  18. face — part of the head
  19. rush — hurry
  20. charge — electricity
  21. squash — to crush
  22. bound — tied together
  23. clip — to cut
  24. clip — a video

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