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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.

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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
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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 · mark · pound · hide · pitcher · wax · last · squash

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. last — to go on
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. chair — a leader
  5. squash — to crush
  6. last — finally
  7. mark — a trace
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. wax — to grow
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. mark — a grade
  16. last — final
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. pound — a weight
  20. squash — the sport
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. chair — to sit on

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