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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. chest — a box
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. firm — a company
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. rest — a break
  9. chest — of your body
  10. spell — a short time
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. firm — decided
  13. spell — letters
  14. land — ground
  15. file — a document
  16. file — a line of people
  17. land — a country
  18. land — to come down
  19. rest — what's left
  20. firm — steady
  21. wax — to grow
  22. rest — what's left
  23. spell — magic
  24. file — a tool

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