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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: wax · chest · stick · rash · firm · bass · chair · bay

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. firm — a company
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. wax — to grow
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. rash — hasty
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. bass — the fish
  10. firm — decided
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. chest — of your body
  15. rash — a series
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. bass — low music
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. firm — steady
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. chair — a leader
  24. chest — a box

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