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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. perch — the fish
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. staff — employees
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. net — for catching
  11. cue — for pool
  12. staff — employees
  13. cue — a hint
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. net — in sport
  16. wax — to grow
  17. cue — a signal
  18. net — after costs

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