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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. row — to paddle
  4. staff — employees
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. court — of law
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. court — for sport
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wind — moving air
  14. court — of a king
  15. wind — moving air
  16. chest — of your body
  17. chest — a box
  18. stem — to come from
  19. staff — employees
  20. row — a line
  21. staff — a stick
  22. chest — of your body
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. stem — a stem cell

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