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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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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: present · patient · chair · wax · jam · hide · stand · trunk

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. present — there
  9. present — a gift
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. present — the time now
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. wax — to grow
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. chair — a leader
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. stand — to bear
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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