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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.

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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 · squash · stick · wind · pit · season · object · wax

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. season — in sport
  4. object — an aim
  5. chair — a leader
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. season — of the year
  8. wind — moving air
  9. pit — in a race
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. wind — moving air
  18. object — to protest
  19. squash — to crush
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. squash — the sport
  22. object — a thing
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. pit — a hole

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