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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wave · stick · rule · cabinet · staff · kid

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. kid — child
  3. rule — a law
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. staff — employees
  8. kid — to tease
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. rule — government
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. staff — a stick
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. stick — a piece of wood

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