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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: march · firm · chair · saw · patient · wax · lean · shower

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. chair — a leader
  3. shower — rain
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. firm — steady
  7. march — the month
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. shower — to wash
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. wax — to grow
  14. saw — the tool
  15. firm — a company
  16. lean — to bend
  17. lean — thin
  18. saw — the tool
  19. march — music
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. firm — decided
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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