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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — a stick
  4. mug — a cup
  5. tear — to rip
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. ball — a dance
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. staff — employees
  10. tear — from crying
  11. ball — a great time
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. tear — from crying
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. wind — moving air
  16. mug — a face
  17. current — electric
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. current — of water
  20. wax — to grow
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. mug — to rob
  24. wind — moving air

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