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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 120 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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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: kid · bore · wax · object · swing · stand · firm · chest

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. wax — to grow
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. stand — to bear
  5. chest — of your body
  6. swing — to play on
  7. bore — to drill
  8. firm — steady
  9. swing — music
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. kid — to tease
  15. firm — decided
  16. bore — to tire
  17. chest — a box
  18. chest — of your body
  19. object — an aim
  20. object — a thing
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. kid — child
  23. swing — in golf
  24. firm — a company

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