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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · chair · saw · rest · staff · season · track · snap

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. season — of the year
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rest — what's left
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. staff — employees
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. season — in sport
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. saw — the tool
  14. track — to keep track
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. saw — the tool
  17. staff — a stick
  18. chair — a leader
  19. track — a song
  20. track — a path
  21. snap — to click
  22. wax — to grow
  23. rest — a break
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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