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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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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 · stand · toast · wax · kick · ruler · ground · wound

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. toast — bread
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. ground — crushed
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. wound — an injury
  9. ground — a position
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. ground — the earth
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. stand — to bear
  19. kick — in football
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. wound — an injury
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. ruler — for measuring

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