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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: prune · last · wax · current · stand · mug · bound · bat

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bat — the animal
  3. last — final
  4. current — of water
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. mug — a cup
  7. current — happening now
  8. bound — tied together
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. stand — to bear
  12. bound — obliged
  13. prune — to trim
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. mug — a face
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. bound — certain
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. prune — to trim
  20. mug — to rob
  21. last — to go on
  22. last — finally
  23. current — electric
  24. wax — to grow

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