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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. swing — to play on
  3. scale — in music
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. swing — in golf
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. wax — to grow
  8. swing — music
  9. scale — size or range
  10. degree — an amount
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. staff — a stick
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. degree — temperature
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. pound — a weight
  21. fork — in a road
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. staff — employees
  24. degree — from a university

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