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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
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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 · wound · current · toast · foot · branch · face

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. foot — a measure
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. toast — bread
  5. current — of water
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. current — happening now
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wax — to grow
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. current — electric
  13. branch — a division
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. chest — a box
  16. face — to confront
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. wound — an injury
  19. chest — of your body
  20. face — to point toward
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. face — part of the head
  24. foot — the bottom

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