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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 120 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: wax · chair · safe · mouse · court · chest · hand · rest

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. chest — a box
  3. chest — of your body
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. hand — in cards
  7. court — for sport
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. rest — what's left
  11. court — of law
  12. rest — a break
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. rest — what's left
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. chest — of your body
  17. court — of a king
  18. wax — to grow
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. hand — help
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. chair — a leader
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. safe — a strongbox

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