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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.

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: track · wax · march · chair · snap · stock · staff · patient

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. chair — a leader
  3. track — a path
  4. march — music
  5. track — to keep track
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. march — the month
  9. stock — shares
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. wax — to grow
  16. march — the month
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. staff — employees
  19. snap — to click
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. track — a song
  22. stock — goods
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. staff — employees

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