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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: chair · wax · chest · rule · coach · squash · patient · roll

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. rule — a law
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. roll — a cake
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. squash — to crush
  10. chair — a leader
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. rule — government
  15. roll — a list
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. squash — the sport
  20. chest — a box
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. chest — of your body
  24. coach — a trainer

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