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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wake — a trail
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. cue — a signal
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. staff — a stick
  14. cue — a hint
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. cue — for pool
  19. staff — employees
  20. fork — in a road
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. wax — to grow

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