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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rash · degree · bay · wax · mate · lie · sharp · chest

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. wax — to grow
  3. lie — to recline
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. mate — a friend
  8. chest — of your body
  9. degree — an amount
  10. mate — a partner
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. degree — temperature
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. sharp — clever
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. rash — a series
  19. degree — from a university
  20. mate — to breed
  21. chest — a box
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. rash — hasty
  24. lie — an untruth

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