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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. cell — a phone
  3. staff — employees
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. race — the arms race
  6. staff — a stick
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. club — for dancing
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. track — to keep track
  11. club — for golf
  12. track — a song
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. race — humankind
  16. cell — in biology
  17. bark — to shout
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. race — a contest
  20. wax — to grow
  21. track — a path
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. club — a group
  24. wax — for sculpting

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