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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: lash · degree · nail · wax · court · key · hand · chest

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. court — of a king
  3. key — for a lock
  4. hand — help
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. degree — an amount
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. degree — from a university
  10. wax — to grow
  11. court — for sport
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. key — in music
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. chest — of your body
  18. key — the most important part
  19. chest — of your body
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. hand — in cards
  23. degree — temperature
  24. court — of law

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