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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. rest — a break
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. wax — to grow
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. staff — employees
  7. spell — magic
  8. file — a line of people
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. stock — goods
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. file — a document
  14. wake — a trail
  15. spell — a short time
  16. rest — what's left
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. rest — what's left
  19. vault — a safe
  20. stock — shares
  21. staff — employees
  22. file — a tool
  23. spell — letters
  24. wake — before a funeral

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