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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: lie · can · perch · wax · snap · spring · ruler · chair

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. spring — the season
  6. spring — a coil
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. perch — the fish
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. spring — of water
  17. snap — to click
  18. lie — to recline
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — a tin
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. wax — to grow
  24. can — to be able to

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