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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 · rest · wax · spring · nail · game · rush · face

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. face — to confront
  3. chest — a box
  4. spring — of water
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. chest — of your body
  9. wax — to grow
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. face — part of the head
  12. rest — what's left
  13. game — wild animals
  14. spring — a coil
  15. spring — the season
  16. rush — hurry
  17. game — a match
  18. face — to point toward
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. rest — a break
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. rest — what's left
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. chest — of your body

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