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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 120 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: bound · tear · lean · stand · chest · bass · wax · kick

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. wax — to grow
  3. lean — thin
  4. stand — to bear
  5. chest — a box
  6. chest — of your body
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. bass — the fish
  9. lean — to bend
  10. bound — certain
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. kick — in football
  14. bound — obliged
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. tear — from crying
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. tear — from crying
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. bass — low music
  21. tear — to rip
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. bound — tied together

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