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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 · chip · tear · fine · wax · arm · hand · pitcher

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. tear — from crying
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. fine — all right
  5. wax — to grow
  6. chip — for betting
  7. tear — from crying
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. tear — to rip
  11. chair — a leader
  12. fine — high quality
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. hand — in cards
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. chip — to eat
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. hand — help

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