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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: stick · wound · calf · jam · chair · cabinet · file · wax

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. chair — a leader
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. wound — an injury
  13. file — a tool
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. file — a document
  17. wax — to grow
  18. file — a line of people
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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