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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. wax — to grow
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. branch — a division
  8. object — a thing
  9. rest — what's left
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. deal — to handle
  12. mark — a trace
  13. rest — what's left
  14. chair — a leader
  15. mark — a grade
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. stand — to bear
  18. object — to protest
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. rest — a break
  24. stand — on your feet

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