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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 · wax · wake · bass · fine · lash · drill · can

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. fine — all right
  3. can — a tin
  4. drill — a practice
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. chest — of your body
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. wax — to grow
  10. chest — a box
  11. can — to be able to
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. bass — the fish
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. can — a tin
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. drill — army training
  20. drill — the tool
  21. wake — a trail
  22. fine — high quality
  23. bass — low music
  24. lash — to lash out

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