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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wax · chair · ball · jam · rule · toast · row · branch

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. ball — a dance
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. chair — a leader
  7. wax — to grow
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. branch — a division
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. rule — a law
  18. ball — a great time
  19. row — to paddle
  20. rule — government
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. row — a line
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. wax — for sculpting

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