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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: saw · row · wax · pass · net · pound · chair · stand

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. saw — the tool
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. pass — a permit
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. net — for catching
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. pound — a weight
  10. net — after costs
  11. stand — to bear
  12. net — in sport
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. wax — to grow
  15. row — to paddle
  16. chair — a leader
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. row — a line
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. saw — the tool
  24. pound — for dogs

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