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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: wax · stand · nail · racket · chair · sharp · fan · firm

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. chair — a leader
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. firm — decided
  12. firm — steady
  13. firm — a company
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. stand — to bear
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. sharp — clever
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. chair — a professorship

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