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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 116 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 · face · last · root · pit · deal · chair · fan

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. last — to go on
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. chair — a leader
  8. root — of a word
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. root — the cause
  11. last — final
  12. root — of a plant
  13. face — to confront
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. wax — to grow
  17. last — finally
  18. pit — in a race
  19. face — to point toward
  20. pit — a hole
  21. face — part of the head
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. deal — to handle
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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