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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: chair · safe · clip · game · craft · patient · wax · coach

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. craft — a skill
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. game — wild animals
  9. chair — a leader
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. clip — to cut
  13. wax — to grow
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. clip — for paper
  19. game — a match
  20. craft — boats
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. clip — a video

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