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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 116 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 · staff · wound · chair · safe · scale · current · capital

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. staff — a stick
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. scale — size or range
  5. current — of water
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. current — happening now
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. staff — employees
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. wound — an injury
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. chair — a leader
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. staff — employees
  18. current — electric
  19. scale — in music
  20. capital — a city
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. wound — an injury
  23. capital — money
  24. wax — to grow

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