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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: fork · chest · pitcher · fine · wax · press · bay · kick

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. press — a publisher
  5. chest — of your body
  6. fine — high quality
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. chest — a box
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. press — to push
  12. kick — in football
  13. fine — all right
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. wax — to grow
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. press — newspapers
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. fork — in a road

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