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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: last · bound · dip · wax · field · saw · row · rash

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. dip — to sink
  3. row — a line
  4. last — finally
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. row — to paddle
  9. wax — to grow
  10. saw — the tool
  11. rash — hasty
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. field — farmland
  15. bound — tied together
  16. last — final
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. last — to go on
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. bound — certain
  21. field — a subject
  22. bound — obliged
  23. rash — a series
  24. field — for sport

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