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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: jam · kid · wax · hand · suit · game · foot · bound

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. wax — to grow
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. suit — in cards
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. foot — a measure
  9. kid — to tease
  10. game — wild animals
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. bound — obliged
  13. kid — child
  14. bound — tied together
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. suit — clothes
  17. hand — in cards
  18. game — a match
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. suit — to fit
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. hand — help
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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