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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: bound · rest · key · wax · chest · fork · lie · degree

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. key — in music
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. key — the most important part
  5. fork — in a road
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. chest — of your body
  9. wax — to grow
  10. degree — an amount
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bound — obliged
  13. degree — from a university
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. key — for a lock
  17. chest — of your body
  18. rest — a break
  19. degree — temperature
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. lie — to recline
  22. chest — a box
  23. bound — certain
  24. rest — what's left

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