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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mug · ruler · wax · hide · spell · band · chest · cabinet

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. chest — of your body
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. spell — a short time
  5. spell — magic
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. mug — to rob
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. wax — to grow
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. mug — a face
  16. chest — of your body
  17. band — a ring
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. spell — letters
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. band — a music group
  23. mug — a cup
  24. chest — a box

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