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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: chest · tube · saw · pop · rest · kick · wax · spell

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. pop — music
  3. kick — in football
  4. chest — of your body
  5. wax — to grow
  6. spell — a short time
  7. spell — letters
  8. rest — what's left
  9. pop — soda
  10. rest — what's left
  11. chest — of your body
  12. saw — the tool
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. tube — a container
  15. pop — to visit
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. rest — a break
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. chest — a box
  21. saw — the tool
  22. tube — the underground
  23. spell — magic
  24. kick — with a leg

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