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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. stock — goods
  3. mug — to rob
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. staff — employees
  7. snap — to click
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. clip — for paper
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. clip — to cut
  14. staff — a stick
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. stock — shares
  19. rush — hurry
  20. mug — a cup
  21. wax — to grow
  22. mug — a face
  23. clip — a video
  24. pass — a permit

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