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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 · craft · lie · race · wax · row · last · drill

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. last — to go on
  4. last — final
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. row — to paddle
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. bound — certain
  10. bound — obliged
  11. race — a contest
  12. lie — to recline
  13. craft — a skill
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. race — the arms race
  16. bound — tied together
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. craft — boats
  19. drill — a practice
  20. drill — the tool
  21. drill — army training
  22. row — a line
  23. last — finally
  24. race — humankind

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