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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: perch · drill · last · chip · rush · wax · chair · mark

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. mark — a grade
  5. last — finally
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. drill — army training
  9. last — to go on
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. perch — the fish
  12. chip — to eat
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. drill — the tool
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. chip — for betting
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. wax — to grow
  21. drill — a practice
  22. rush — hurry
  23. last — final
  24. chair — a leader

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