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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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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: rest · bound · wax · degree · nail · snap · toast · chest

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. chest — a box
  3. degree — from a university
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. toast — bread
  6. rest — what's left
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. degree — temperature
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. rest — a break
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. rest — what's left
  14. bound — obliged
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. wax — to grow
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. bound — certain
  19. degree — an amount
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. bound — tied together
  22. snap — to click
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chest — of your body

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