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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: mark · pop · last · mine · hide · foot · chair · wax

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. wax — to grow
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. mark — a grade
  5. pop — to visit
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. pop — soda
  9. chair — a leader
  10. foot — a measure
  11. mine — for digging
  12. last — final
  13. pop — music
  14. last — to go on
  15. mark — a trace
  16. last — finally
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. wax — in the ear

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