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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: jam · last · roll · mark · wax · cabinet · kid · chest

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. mark — a trace
  5. last — to go on
  6. last — final
  7. kid — to tease
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. chest — of your body
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. wax — to grow
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. mark — a grade
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. last — finally
  19. chest — a box
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. chest — of your body
  23. kid — child
  24. roll — a cake

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