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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: bark · bound · branch · wax · last · stand · lash · straw

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. wax — to grow
  8. last — to go on
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. bound — certain
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. branch — a division
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. last — final
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. bound — tied together
  21. stand — to bear
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. last — finally
  24. stand — on your feet

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