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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: cabinet · rush · chest · wake · stem · bore · hide · wax

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. bore — to tire
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. chest — of your body
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. chest — of your body
  13. wake — a trail
  14. bore — to drill
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. wax — to grow
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. chest — a box
  19. rush — hurry
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. stem — to come from
  24. hide — to keep secret

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