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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: chair · pit · fan · firm · wax · toast · stock · content

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. firm — decided
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. stock — goods
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. content — happy
  8. chair — a leader
  9. pit — a hole
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. wax — to grow
  14. content — the amount
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. firm — steady
  18. toast — bread
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. pit — in a race
  21. firm — a company
  22. stock — shares
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. content — videos and posts

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