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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: lie · mine · pass · rash · chest · branch · shower · wax

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. chest — of your body
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. pass — a permit
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. chest — of your body
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. wax — to grow
  11. shower — to wash
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. chest — a box
  15. rash — a series
  16. shower — rain
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. lie — to recline
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. branch — a division
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. mine — an explosive

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