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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: wax · wound · fan · temple · bark · ground · bound · chair

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. ground — crushed
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bound — certain
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. wax — to grow
  8. wound — an injury
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. ground — the earth
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. bark — to shout
  22. ground — a position
  23. chair — a leader
  24. chair — a professorship

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