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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: race · march · toast · court · straw · wax · bound · mouse

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. march — the month
  3. wax — to grow
  4. race — humankind
  5. bound — obliged
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. toast — bread
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. court — of a king
  10. bound — tied together
  11. race — the arms race
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. march — music
  15. court — of law
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. bound — certain
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. march — the month
  20. court — for sport
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. race — a contest
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. mouse — the 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