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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.

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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: sharp · fine · kid · saw · spell · ground · chair · wax

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. spell — letters
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. spell — magic
  9. ground — a position
  10. saw — the tool
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. ground — the earth
  13. sharp — clever
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. ground — crushed
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. chair — a leader
  18. spell — a short time
  19. kid — to tease
  20. fine — all right
  21. kid — child
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. saw — the tool
  24. wax — to grow

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