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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: arm · mate · last · chest · present · key · dip · wax

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. present — a gift
  3. wax — to grow
  4. mate — a friend
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. mate — a partner
  7. last — final
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — of your body
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. chest — a box
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. present — there
  16. key — in music
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. present — the time now
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. key — the most important part
  21. key — for a lock
  22. last — finally
  23. dip — to sink
  24. last — to go on

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