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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. wax — to grow
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. last — to go on
  6. staff — a stick
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. stock — shares
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. last — final
  12. staff — employees
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. tear — to rip
  17. tear — from crying
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. stock — goods
  22. tear — from crying
  23. staff — employees
  24. last — finally

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