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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: kid · bound · wax · ruler · last · land · lie · sharp

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. wax — to grow
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. sharp — clever
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. last — final
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. land — ground
  11. lie — to recline
  12. land — a country
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. last — finally
  15. last — to go on
  16. kid — child
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bound — certain
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. land — to come down
  23. bound — obliged
  24. kid — to tease

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