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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: wax · jam · present · chest · fall · ball · bore · bay

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. ball — a dance
  3. chest — of your body
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. chest — a box
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. fall — the season
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. fall — to drop
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. chest — of your body
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. ball — a great time
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. present — a gift
  19. fall — to drop
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. present — there
  22. present — the time now
  23. bore — to tire
  24. bore — to drill

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