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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: rash · wax · trunk · chair · stick · cap · rest · stand

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  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. rest — what's left
  2. rest — what's left
  3. stand — to bear
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. rest — a break
  6. cap — a hat
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. rash — hasty
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. cap — of ice
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. cap — a lid
  21. wax — to grow
  22. rash — a series
  23. chair — a leader
  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