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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 · bulb · wax · roll · arm · rule · track · shower

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. rule — government
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. roll — a cake
  10. bulb — for light
  11. rule — a law
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wax — to grow
  16. track — to keep track
  17. shower — to wash
  18. bulb — for light
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. shower — rain
  22. track — a song
  23. chest — a box
  24. roll — a list

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