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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
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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: bound · wax · season · saw · roll · bore · trunk · coach

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. bore — to drill
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. roll — a list
  7. bore — to tire
  8. bound — certain
  9. season — of the year
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. season — in sport
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. bound — obliged
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. roll — a cake
  21. saw — the tool
  22. wax — to grow
  23. bound — tied together
  24. saw — past of 'see'

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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