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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: wax · net · prune · mark · chest · rest · rock · row

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. chest — of your body
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. chest — a box
  6. mark — a grade
  7. rock — music
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. rest — a break
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. chest — of your body
  13. net — in sport
  14. net — for catching
  15. wax — to grow
  16. rock — a stone
  17. row — a line
  18. prune — to trim
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. row — to paddle
  21. mark — a trace
  22. net — after costs
  23. rest — what's left
  24. prune — to trim

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