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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: mug · lean · wax · chair · saw · content · track · chip

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. chair — a leader
  4. saw — the tool
  5. chip — to eat
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. mug — a face
  8. lean — thin
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. chip — for betting
  11. track — a path
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. mug — a cup
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. content — happy
  16. content — the amount
  17. track — a song
  18. lean — to bend
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. mug — to rob
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. track — to keep track
  24. wax — to grow

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