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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: chest · bound · bear · straw · dip · fork · wax · board

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. wax — to grow
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. bound — obliged
  5. dip — to sink
  6. bound — certain
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — of your body
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. bear — the animal
  13. board — to get on
  14. fork — in a road
  15. chest — a box
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. board — a committee
  22. bound — tied together
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. straw — dry grass

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