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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. tube — a container
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — employees
  10. tube — the underground
  11. last — final
  12. last — finally
  13. sharp — clever
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. deal — to handle
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. lean — thin
  18. lean — to bend
  19. wax — to grow
  20. last — to go on
  21. date — the fruit
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. tube — in a tire

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