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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 120 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
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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 · leaves · stand · capital · content · cabinet · foot · chair

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. foot — a measure
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. content — happy
  11. stand — to bear
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. wax — to grow
  19. content — the amount
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. capital — a city
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. capital — money
  24. chair — a leader

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