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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: wax · chair · roll · bound · saw · spring · wake · mug

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. mug — a cup
  5. saw — the tool
  6. wax — to grow
  7. bound — certain
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. saw — the tool
  10. spring — of water
  11. mug — to rob
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. spring — the season
  15. mug — a face
  16. roll — a cake
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. chair — a leader
  20. roll — a list
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. bound — obliged
  23. spring — a coil
  24. wake — a trail

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