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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
468
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: chair · cold · date · wax · rash · racket · cabinet · bore

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. bore — to tire
  8. rash — a series
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wax — to grow
  16. cold — an illness
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. chair — a leader
  19. bore — to drill
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. date — the fruit
  22. rash — hasty
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. chair — a professorship

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