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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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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: bound · stock · calf · last · temple · wax · mine · chair

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. bound — certain
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. stock — shares
  6. chair — a leader
  7. last — final
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. stock — goods
  11. bound — tied together
  12. bound — obliged
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. last — to go on
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. mine — for digging
  22. wax — to grow
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. calf — a young animal

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