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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. firm — steady
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. staff — employees
  6. clip — to cut
  7. track — a path
  8. firm — a company
  9. bear — the animal
  10. staff — a stick
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. firm — decided
  13. rock — a stone
  14. rock — music
  15. clip — a video
  16. clip — for paper
  17. track — to keep track
  18. pound — a weight
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. track — a song
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. staff — employees
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. bear — the animal

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