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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 116 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: march · mug · hand · chair · last · wave · lean · wax

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. chair — a leader
  3. march — the month
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. march — music
  6. mug — a cup
  7. lean — thin
  8. mug — to rob
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. wax — to grow
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. hand — in cards
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. march — the month
  17. last — finally
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. hand — help
  20. last — final
  21. lean — to bend
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. mug — a face
  24. last — to go on

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