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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 116 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 · straw · march · pitcher · wax · kick · spell · safe

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. bound — obliged
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. spell — letters
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. march — music
  10. spell — a short time
  11. kick — in football
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. spell — magic
  15. bound — certain
  16. march — the month
  17. bound — tied together
  18. march — the month
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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