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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
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: roll · chest · wax · wake · rest · spring · wound · nail

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. spring — the season
  4. wake — a trail
  5. chest — of your body
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. spring — a coil
  8. chest — a box
  9. wound — an injury
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. wax — to grow
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. rest — what's left
  16. roll — a list
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — a break
  19. chest — of your body
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. spring — of water
  22. roll — a cake
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wax — in the ear

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