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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: club · stick · prune · wax · bound · foot · rest · wind

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bound — certain
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. club — a group
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. rest — a break
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. wind — moving air
  14. bound — tied together
  15. club — for dancing
  16. foot — a measure
  17. prune — to trim
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. rest — what's left
  20. prune — to trim
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. rest — what's left
  24. club — for golf

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