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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: bass · mate · ruler · lie · file · bound · pound · wax

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. file — a tool
  7. file — a line of people
  8. bound — obliged
  9. pound — a weight
  10. wax — to grow
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. mate — to breed
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. lie — to recline
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bass — low music
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. mate — a partner
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. mate — a friend
  24. file — a document

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