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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: bay · patient · chair · arm · hide · saw · wax · land

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. land — a country
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. land — to come down
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. wax — to grow
  7. saw — the tool
  8. land — ground
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. saw — the tool

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