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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 · wax · pound · rush · hide · jam · perch · mouse

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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. perch — for a bird
  4. pound — a weight
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. chest — of your body
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. rush — hurry
  22. chest — a box
  23. perch — the fish
  24. hide — animal skin

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