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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 120 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: wax · land · chair · rush · stand · dip · object · bat

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. object — to protest
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. land — to come down
  7. land — a country
  8. bat — the animal
  9. object — a thing
  10. wax — to grow
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. stand — to bear
  14. dip — to sink
  15. object — an aim
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. land — ground
  20. rush — hurry
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. chair — a leader
  24. bat — for baseball

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