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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: season · bound · wind · vault · wax · wave · row · drill

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. bound — certain
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. wind — moving air
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. wind — moving air
  8. drill — a practice
  9. row — to paddle
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. vault — a safe
  12. bound — tied together
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. drill — the tool
  15. bound — obliged
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. wax — to grow
  19. drill — army training
  20. row — a line
  21. season — in sport
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. season — of the year
  24. wax — for sculpting

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