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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: dip · wax · game · wind · chest · object · mine · cabinet

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. wax — to grow
  3. mine — for digging
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. chest — of your body
  6. game — a match
  7. chest — a box
  8. dip — to sink
  9. wind — moving air
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. game — wild animals
  14. object — to protest
  15. object — a thing
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. object — an aim
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. wind — moving air
  22. chest — of your body
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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