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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · drill · staff · net · chair · season · rock · hide

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. drill — army training
  6. staff — a stick
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. season — of the year
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. net — in sport
  12. net — for catching
  13. drill — a practice
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — employees
  18. rock — a stone
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. season — in sport
  21. drill — the tool
  22. rock — music
  23. chair — a leader
  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