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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: wax · mate · stock · scale · coach · ground · bound · trunk

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. mate — a partner
  3. ground — a position
  4. scale — in music
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. stock — shares
  9. ground — crushed
  10. wax — to grow
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. stock — goods
  15. ground — the earth
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. mate — a friend
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. scale — size or range
  21. mate — to breed
  22. bound — certain
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. bound — tied together

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