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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 · bear · fall · rush · pound · cell · plane · chair

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. fall — the season
  4. bear — the animal
  5. cell — a phone
  6. bear — the animal
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. fall — to drop
  9. wax — to grow
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. rush — hurry
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. pound — a weight
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. cell — in biology
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. chair — a leader
  20. plane — a tool
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. fall — to drop

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