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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: chest · toast · wax · wind · track · mate · firm · spell

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. spell — magic
  3. wind — moving air
  4. spell — letters
  5. chest — a box
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. chest — of your body
  8. firm — decided
  9. track — a path
  10. spell — a short time
  11. mate — to breed
  12. mate — a partner
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. mate — a friend
  15. toast — bread
  16. wind — moving air
  17. chest — of your body
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. firm — steady
  20. firm — a company
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. track — to keep track
  23. track — a song
  24. wind — to turn a key

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