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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: chair · tube · lie · cell · bay · toast · wax · hide

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. lie — to recline
  3. cell — a phone
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. toast — bread
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. chair — a leader
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. tube — a container
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. tube — the underground
  24. cell — in biology

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