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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: fine · arm · chair · wax · cell · chest · straw · tear

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. fine — high quality
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. cell — in biology
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. tear — from crying
  9. chest — of your body
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. cell — a phone
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. fine — all right
  16. chest — of your body
  17. wax — to grow
  18. tear — to rip
  19. chair — a leader
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. tear — from crying

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