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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
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 · cue · straw · pitcher · season · mug · foot · chair

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  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. foot — a measure
  2. chair — a leader
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. cue — a hint
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. cue — for pool
  9. season — of the year
  10. mug — a cup
  11. season — in sport
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. wax — to grow
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. mug — a face
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. mug — to rob
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. cue — a signal
  23. season — to add flavour
  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