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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: wax · cue · mate · chest · wave · chair · capital · stock

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. cue — for pool
  3. capital — a city
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. mate — a friend
  6. chest — of your body
  7. mate — a partner
  8. stock — shares
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. chair — a leader
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. cue — a hint
  13. chest — a box
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. cue — a signal
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. chest — of your body
  19. capital — money
  20. wax — to grow
  21. mate — to breed
  22. stock — goods
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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