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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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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: chest · cabinet · clip · craft · wax · foot · sharp · chair

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. craft — a skill
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. clip — a video
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. wax — to grow
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. foot — a measure
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. clip — to cut
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chair — a leader
  19. sharp — clever
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. chest — a box
  22. craft — boats
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. clip — for paper

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