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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 120 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: rash · straw · wax · bound · file · firm · prune · board

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  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 — certain
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. firm — decided
  5. rash — hasty
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. board — a committee
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. prune — to trim
  10. file — a tool
  11. file — a line of people
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. firm — a company
  14. firm — steady
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. rash — a series
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. board — to get on
  20. prune — to trim
  21. file — a document
  22. wax — to grow
  23. bound — obliged
  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