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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.

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
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: wax · fan · nail · squash · wake · bear · perch · chair

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. squash — the sport
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. chair — a leader
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. squash — to crush
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. perch — the fish
  17. wax — to grow
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. wake — a trail
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. bear — the animal
  24. chair — a professorship

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