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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: rash · hand · wax · nail · cabinet · chest · fall · kick

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. fall — to drop
  3. rash — a series
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. rash — hasty
  10. chest — of your body
  11. wax — to grow
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. hand — help
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. fall — the season
  18. chest — a box
  19. chest — of your body
  20. fall — to drop
  21. kick — in football
  22. hand — in cards
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. rash — on the skin

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