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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: wax · cabinet · rest · chest · branch · ruler · swing · straw

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. branch — a division
  3. rest — what's left
  4. wax — to grow
  5. rest — a break
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. chest — a box
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. rest — what's left
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. chest — of your body
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. swing — music
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. swing — in golf
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. swing — to play on
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. chest — of your body

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