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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: straw · wound · hand · march · wave · arm · bore · wax

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. bore — to drill
  3. wax — to grow
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. march — the month
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. wound — an injury
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. bore — to tire
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. march — music
  20. hand — in cards
  21. hand — help
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. march — the month

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