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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 120 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: fall · wave · temple · hand · firm · ground · bound · wax

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  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. hand — help
  2. firm — decided
  3. firm — steady
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. fall — to drop
  7. ground — crushed
  8. ground — a position
  9. firm — a company
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bound — tied together
  12. fall — to drop
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. fall — the season
  17. hand — in cards
  18. bound — certain
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. ground — the earth
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. wax — to grow
  23. wave — with your hand
  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