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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: chest · branch · march · face · patient · wax · toast · rush

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. chest — of your body
  3. march — music
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. branch — a division
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. face — part of the head
  8. face — to point toward
  9. rush — hurry
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. wax — to grow
  12. march — the month
  13. toast — bread
  14. chest — of your body
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. chest — a box
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. face — to confront
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. march — the month
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. rush — to hurry

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