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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 · mine · mouse · prune · wax · field · stand · toast

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. field — farmland
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. stand — to bear
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. bound — certain
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mine — for digging
  11. toast — bread
  12. prune — to trim
  13. wax — to grow
  14. bound — obliged
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. field — for sport
  17. bound — tied together
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. prune — to trim
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. field — a subject
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. wax — for sculpting

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