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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: tear · chest · track · mine · capital · lean · key · wax

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. tear — to rip
  4. mine — for digging
  5. wax — to grow
  6. track — a path
  7. track — to keep track
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. key — for a lock
  11. capital — money
  12. key — in music
  13. tear — from crying
  14. capital — a city
  15. chest — of your body
  16. tear — from crying
  17. chest — a box
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. track — a song
  22. lean — to bend
  23. key — the most important part
  24. lean — thin

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