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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 · bound · ground · leaves · last · mine · nail · jam

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. ground — crushed
  4. bound — tied together
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. ground — the earth
  7. last — finally
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. last — to go on
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. ground — a position
  15. wax — to grow
  16. last — final
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. bound — certain
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. bound — obliged
  21. mine — for digging
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. nail — on a finger

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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