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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 120 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: chest · leaves · wax · staff · shower · land · dip · bound

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. chest — a box
  3. land — a country
  4. wax — to grow
  5. bound — tied together
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. bound — certain
  11. staff — employees
  12. shower — rain
  13. staff — employees
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — of your body
  16. bound — obliged
  17. land — to come down
  18. shower — to wash
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. dip — to sink
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. land — ground

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