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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: wave · game · lie · wax · stock · dip · chair · squash

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. lie — to recline
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. game — wild animals
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. stock — shares
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. squash — the sport
  17. wax — to grow
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. stock — goods
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. dip — to sink
  22. game — a match
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. squash — to crush

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