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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: chest · mug · cell · wax · stick · toast · sharp · board

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. board — to get on
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. board — a committee
  5. chest — of your body
  6. sharp — clever
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. cell — a phone
  9. mug — to rob
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. chest — of your body
  12. cell — in biology
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. toast — bread
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. chest — a box
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. mug — a face
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. mug — a cup

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