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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 · hide · mate · wax · ruler · can · squash · tear

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. mate — a partner
  4. can — to be able to
  5. tear — to rip
  6. mate — to breed
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — a tin
  9. tear — from crying
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. chest — of your body
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. wax — to grow
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. squash — the sport
  18. chest — a box
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. squash — to crush
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. tear — from crying
  24. mate — a friend

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