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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 · present · race · cell · cabinet · wax · trunk · lash

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. race — humankind
  4. race — the arms race
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. cell — a phone
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cell — in biology
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. present — the time now
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. present — a gift
  17. chair — a leader
  18. wax — to grow
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. race — a contest
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. present — there

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