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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. mug — a cup
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. lean — to bend
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. race — humankind
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. file — a tool
  11. file — a document
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. mug — to rob
  14. wax — to grow
  15. race — a contest
  16. file — a line of people
  17. lean — thin
  18. race — the arms race
  19. pitch — completely
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. staff — a stick
  22. mug — a face
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. staff — employees

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