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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 120 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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — employees
  3. wind — moving air
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. staff — a stick
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. mug — a cup
  10. mug — a face
  11. mug — to rob
  12. saw — the tool
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. saw — the tool
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. rash — a series
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. rash — hasty
  24. leaves — lets stay

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