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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: perch · wax · snap · chair · cabinet · stick · row · fan

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. chair — a leader
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. perch — the fish
  12. row — a line
  13. row — to paddle
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. wax — to grow
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. snap — to click
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. chair — a professorship

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