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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: object · net · lean · cell · root · saw · chair · wax

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. lean — thin
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. net — in sport
  5. lean — to bend
  6. net — after costs
  7. root — of a word
  8. net — for catching
  9. object — a thing
  10. root — of a plant
  11. cell — a phone
  12. saw — the tool
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. chair — a leader
  15. saw — the tool
  16. cell — in biology
  17. object — an aim
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. wax — to grow
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. object — to protest
  24. root — the cause

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