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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: bound · pound · roll · jam · mate · lean · wax · straw

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. mate — a partner
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. roll — a list
  9. bound — tied together
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. bound — obliged
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. lean — thin
  15. bound — certain
  16. pound — a weight
  17. roll — a cake
  18. mate — a friend
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. mate — to breed
  22. lean — to bend
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. straw — dry grass

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