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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.

Make a worksheet

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 · wax · fan · lie · cold · bark · patient · bowl

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. bark — to shout
  8. cold — not warm
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. lie — to recline
  13. wax — to grow
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. cold — an illness
  19. chair — a leader
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. wax — in the ear

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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