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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 · toast · chest · stick · firm · wax · bat · saw

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. toast — bread
  3. firm — decided
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. rest — what's left
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. saw — the tool
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. chest — of your body
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. firm — steady
  16. chest — a box
  17. wax — to grow
  18. firm — a company
  19. rest — a break
  20. chest — of your body
  21. bat — the animal
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. rest — what's left
  24. bat — in an idiom

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