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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: hide · wax · chest · stem · wake · chair · mine · chip

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. wake — a trail
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. wax — to grow
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. mine — for digging
  15. chair — a leader
  16. chip — to eat
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. chip — for betting
  20. chest — of your body
  21. stem — to come from
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. chest — a box

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