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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. spring — a coil
  3. chair — a leader
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. deal — to handle
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. spring — of water
  8. wax — to grow
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. mate — a partner
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. squash — to crush
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. squash — the sport
  19. mate — to breed
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. spring — the season
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. mate — a friend
  24. wax — in the ear

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