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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. stock — shares
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — a stick
  7. stock — goods
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. wake — a trail
  10. press — to push
  11. key — in music
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. key — for a lock
  16. hand — help
  17. press — a publisher
  18. key — the most important part
  19. hand — in cards
  20. wax — to grow
  21. press — newspapers
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. stock — a soup base

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