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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: chair · land · racket · shower · cabinet · pound · stock · wax

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. land — ground
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. land — a country
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. stock — goods
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. shower — rain
  14. shower — to wash
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. pound — a weight
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. land — to come down
  20. stock — shares
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. wax — to grow
  24. racket — for tennis

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