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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: cabinet · rush · foot · clip · fan · present · wax · chest

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. rush — hurry
  3. chest — of your body
  4. foot — a measure
  5. clip — a video
  6. present — the time now
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. clip — to cut
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. chest — of your body
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. wax — to grow
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. clip — for paper
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. present — there
  22. chest — a box
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. present — a gift

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