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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 · staff · mine · toast · roll · fine · wax · jam

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. roll — a cake
  3. staff — a stick
  4. roll — a list
  5. fine — all right
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. staff — employees
  8. wax — to grow
  9. mine — for digging
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. toast — bread
  14. staff — employees
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — a box
  17. chest — of your body
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. fine — high quality
  24. jam — a tight spot

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