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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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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: perch · chest · rest · snap · patient · wind · wax · key

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. wind — moving air
  4. rest — what's left
  5. chest — of your body
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. rest — what's left
  8. perch — the fish
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. rest — a break
  12. key — in music
  13. key — the most important part
  14. chest — a box
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. key — for a lock
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. chest — of your body
  21. wax — to grow
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. wind — moving air
  24. snap — to click

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