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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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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: leaves · wind · chest · wax · rest · fan · rash · stick

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. wax — to grow
  3. rest — what's left
  4. chest — a box
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. wind — moving air
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. rest — what's left
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. chest — of your body
  13. wind — moving air
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. rash — hasty
  20. rest — a break
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. chest — of your body
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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