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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: drill · current · cold · lash · wax · mine · foot · bound

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. drill — army training
  3. wax — to grow
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. current — happening now
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. drill — the tool
  12. bound — tied together
  13. current — electric
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. mine — for digging
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. current — of water
  19. cold — not warm
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. foot — a measure
  22. bound — certain
  23. bound — obliged
  24. cold — an illness

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