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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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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: temple · chip · march · wax · trunk · firm · stem · chair

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. march — the month
  3. chip — to eat
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. march — music
  6. chair — a leader
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. stem — to come from
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. wax — to grow
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. firm — steady
  21. march — the month
  22. chip — for betting
  23. firm — decided
  24. temple — a place of worship

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