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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: lean · wax · pound · toast · pit · tear · drill · chair

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. tear — to rip
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. tear — from crying
  7. toast — bread
  8. lean — to bend
  9. wax — to grow
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. drill — the tool
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. chair — a leader
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. drill — army training
  16. pit — in a race
  17. pit — a hole
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. lean — thin
  22. tear — from crying
  23. drill — a practice
  24. pound — a weight

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