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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.

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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 · wax · chair · lie · wake · stock · pitch · bore

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. wake — a trail
  5. wax — to grow
  6. sharp — clever
  7. chair — a leader
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. stock — shares
  11. stock — goods
  12. lie — to recline
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. bore — to drill
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. pitch — completely
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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