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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
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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: wax · firm · march · sharp · object · chair · season · coach

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. object — a thing
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. object — to protest
  5. season — in sport
  6. sharp — clever
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. wax — to grow
  9. firm — a company
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. march — the month
  17. firm — decided
  18. object — an aim
  19. season — of the year
  20. march — music
  21. march — the month
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. chair — a leader
  24. sharp — with an edge

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