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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: firm · swing · arm · key · last · cap · wax · bound

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. last — to go on
  3. wax — to grow
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. last — finally
  7. cap — a hat
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. swing — to play on
  10. last — final
  11. cap — a lid
  12. key — for a lock
  13. cap — of ice
  14. firm — a company
  15. bound — tied together
  16. key — in music
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. key — the most important part
  19. bound — certain
  20. bound — obliged
  21. swing — music
  22. firm — steady
  23. swing — in golf
  24. wax — in the ear

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