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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 116 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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. wound — an injury
  4. present — there
  5. chair — a leader
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. pit — a hole
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. season — of the year
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. present — a gift
  14. wound — an injury
  15. season — in sport
  16. pound — a weight
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. pit — in a race
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. wax — to grow
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. present — the time now

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