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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: wax · rash · drill · cap · present · bound · club · stand

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. cap — a hat
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. club — for golf
  5. club — for dancing
  6. present — the time now
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. drill — a practice
  9. rash — hasty
  10. cap — a lid
  11. bound — obliged
  12. drill — the tool
  13. club — a group
  14. cap — of ice
  15. bound — certain
  16. bound — tied together
  17. stand — to bear
  18. wax — to grow
  19. present — a gift
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. drill — army training
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. present — there
  24. rash — a series

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