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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: wound · rock · arm · bound · craft · last · wax · mate

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. last — to go on
  3. bound — certain
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. craft — boats
  6. wound — an injury
  7. rock — music
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. last — finally
  12. mate — a friend
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. mate — a partner
  15. wax — to grow
  16. craft — a skill
  17. last — final
  18. rock — a stone
  19. mate — to breed
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. bound — tied together

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