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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. wind — moving air
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. staff — employees
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. mark — a grade
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. pound — a weight
  10. wind — moving air
  11. stand — to bear
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. mark — a trace
  17. staff — a stick
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. wax — to grow
  24. mine — for digging

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