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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: squash · wax · swing · tear · mug · jam · rush · chair

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. swing — to play on
  5. squash — to crush
  6. tear — to rip
  7. wax — to grow
  8. mug — a cup
  9. mug — to rob
  10. rush — hurry
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. squash — the sport
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. swing — in golf
  17. tear — from crying
  18. mug — a face
  19. swing — music
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. tear — from crying
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. chair — a leader
  24. squash — the vegetable

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