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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: rule · wax · chest · cold · staff · stand · charge · chair

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. charge — in control
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. chest — a box
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. rule — government
  7. chest — of your body
  8. charge — electricity
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. cold — an illness
  11. chair — a leader
  12. staff — employees
  13. rule — a law
  14. charge — a price
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. staff — employees
  17. stand — to bear
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. staff — a stick
  20. wax — to grow
  21. cold — not warm
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. wax — for sculpting

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