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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 · saw · field · staff · rush · bound · wind · sharp

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. bound — tied together
  3. field — farmland
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. wind — moving air
  6. field — for sport
  7. field — a subject
  8. bound — certain
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. wind — moving air
  11. saw — the tool
  12. staff — employees
  13. wax — to grow
  14. staff — employees
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. rush — hurry
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. saw — the tool
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. sharp — clever
  23. bound — obliged
  24. staff — a stick

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