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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: lie · wax · bound · rush · toast · last · band · chest

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. last — final
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. last — to go on
  6. band — a ring
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bound — obliged
  10. lie — to recline
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. chest — of your body
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bound — certain
  16. bound — tied together
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. rush — hurry
  19. band — a music group
  20. toast — bread
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. last — finally
  23. chest — a box
  24. wax — to grow

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