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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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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: cap · chair · temple · swing · stick · wax · sharp · tear

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. tear — to rip
  3. cap — of ice
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. swing — in golf
  6. cap — a hat
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. swing — music
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. sharp — clever
  12. swing — to play on
  13. tear — from crying
  14. wax — to grow
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. chair — a leader
  21. tear — from crying
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. cap — a lid

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