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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.

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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: wind · bound · wax · calf · fine · mate · pop · net

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. wind — moving air
  3. net — in sport
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bound — certain
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. mate — a friend
  8. fine — high quality
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. mate — a partner
  13. net — for catching
  14. bound — tied together
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. pop — to visit
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. pop — music
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. wind — moving air
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. net — after costs
  23. pop — soda
  24. fine — all right

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