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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. bat — the animal
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. mug — to rob
  5. bore — to tire
  6. staff — a stick
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. mug — a cup
  9. wax — to grow
  10. shower — to wash
  11. mug — a face
  12. staff — employees
  13. wake — a trail
  14. staff — employees
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. firm — a company
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. firm — decided
  21. bore — to drill
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. shower — rain

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