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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: cabinet · tube · patient · plane · chair · straw · wax · wind

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. plane — a tool
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wax — to grow
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. chair — a leader
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. tube — a container
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. tube — the underground
  24. chair — to sit on

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