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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: straw · wave · stem · wax · lean · wound · fall · bound

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. wound — an injury
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wax — to grow
  12. fall — to drop
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. stem — to come from
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. bound — obliged
  19. lean — to bend
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fall — the season
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bound — certain

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