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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: pound · bound · spell · wax · wind · plane · staff · mine

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. wax — to grow
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. plane — a tool
  5. bound — tied together
  6. staff — employees
  7. spell — magic
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. pound — a weight
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. mine — for digging
  13. staff — employees
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. bound — certain
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. spell — a short time
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. staff — a stick
  20. spell — letters
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. wind — moving air
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. wind — to turn a key

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