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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: tear · straw · bound · calf · rest · leaves · stick · wax

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. tear — from crying
  3. rest — what's left
  4. wax — to grow
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. rest — a break
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. bound — certain
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. tear — from crying
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. bound — obliged
  16. rest — what's left
  17. bound — tied together
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. tear — to rip
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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