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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 · last · nail · chair · current · season · mate · hand

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. hand — help
  4. mate — a partner
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. season — in sport
  7. current — happening now
  8. mate — to breed
  9. season — of the year
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. last — final
  12. last — to go on
  13. wax — to grow
  14. current — electric
  15. chair — a leader
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. last — finally
  21. hand — in cards
  22. current — of water
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. wax — for sculpting

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