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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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. firm — decided
  4. pop — to visit
  5. firm — a company
  6. tube — the underground
  7. pop — music
  8. pop — soda
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. staff — employees
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. kick — in football
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. firm — steady
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. cold — an illness
  19. tube — a container
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. staff — employees
  23. cold — not warm
  24. date — the fruit

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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