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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: chest · key · mine · rush · bear · last · wave · wax

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. chest — of your body
  3. key — for a lock
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. last — finally
  10. last — to go on
  11. key — in music
  12. key — the most important part
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. mine — for digging
  15. chest — a box
  16. bear — the animal
  17. chest — of your body
  18. last — final
  19. wax — to grow
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. bear — the animal
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. rush — hurry

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