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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 120 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: foot · branch · chair · wax · file · straw · cap · fine

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. wax — to grow
  5. cap — a hat
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. fine — high quality
  8. foot — a measure
  9. file — a document
  10. branch — a division
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. chair — a leader
  14. cap — a lid
  15. cap — of ice
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. fine — all right
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. file — a tool
  24. chair — to sit on

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