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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: hide · ruler · wax · row · chair · sharp · cell · hand

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. sharp — clever
  6. hand — help
  7. row — to paddle
  8. hand — in cards
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. row — a line
  18. wax — to grow
  19. cell — a phone
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. cell — in biology
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. chair — a leader

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