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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 116 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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. pop — to visit
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. rest — what's left
  5. pop — music
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. cell — a phone
  8. staff — a stick
  9. wax — to grow
  10. pop — soda
  11. suit — in cards
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rest — a break
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. suit — to fit
  17. track — a song
  18. wind — moving air
  19. staff — employees
  20. suit — clothes
  21. wind — moving air
  22. track — to keep track
  23. staff — employees
  24. track — a path

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