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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: ground · snap · lean · kick · wax · bulb · march · chest

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. chest — of your body
  3. kick — in football
  4. chest — of your body
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — to grow
  7. march — the month
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. march — the month
  10. snap — to click
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. ground — the earth
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. ground — a position
  17. march — music
  18. lean — to bend
  19. bulb — for light
  20. ground — crushed
  21. chest — a box
  22. bulb — for light
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. lean — thin

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