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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: bear · bound · wax · prune · staff · hide · row · hand

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. bear — the animal
  4. row — to paddle
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. staff — employees
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. bear — the animal
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. row — a line
  13. bound — obliged
  14. prune — to trim
  15. hand — in cards
  16. staff — employees
  17. wax — to grow
  18. prune — to trim
  19. hand — help
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. staff — a stick
  22. bound — tied together
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. bound — certain

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