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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.

Make a worksheet

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: chair · jam · rock · row · wax · mine

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. rock — music
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. rock — a stone
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. chair — a leader
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. row — to paddle
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. row — a line
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wax — to grow
  16. mine — for digging
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. rock — to move gently

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