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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: lean · rest · sharp · wax · foot · dip · cold · chair

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. lean — to bend
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rest — a break
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. wax — to grow
  9. lean — thin
  10. cold — not warm
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. cold — an illness
  17. chair — a leader
  18. foot — a measure
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. dip — to sink
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. sharp — clever

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