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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.

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: chair · bay · wake · fine · wax · bark · nail · cold

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. wax — to grow
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. cold — not warm
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. bark — to shout
  12. cold — an illness
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. fine — all right
  17. wake — a trail
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. chair — a leader
  20. fine — high quality
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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