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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: dip · chair · trunk · fan · wax · rule · toast · clip

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. chair — a leader
  3. dip — to sink
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. clip — a video
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. toast — bread
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. clip — for paper
  13. rule — a law
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. wax — to grow
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. clip — to cut
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. rule — government

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