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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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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: saw · lean · wind · wax · pass · tear · chair · cabinet

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. saw — the tool
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. tear — to rip
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. wind — moving air
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. tear — from crying
  15. chair — a leader
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. wax — to grow
  18. tear — from crying
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. lean — thin
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. pass — a permit
  23. saw — the tool
  24. lean — to rest against

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