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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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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 · suit · ground · nail · wax · wind · bay · key

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. suit — clothes
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. key — for a lock
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. key — the most important part
  9. key — in music
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. chest — of your body
  12. ground — a position
  13. ground — crushed
  14. ground — the earth
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. chest — a box
  20. suit — to fit
  21. suit — in cards
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wax — for sculpting

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