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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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Word bank
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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: wax · pit · clip · spell · bat · pass · deal · staff

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bat — the animal
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. spell — a short time
  5. staff — a stick
  6. spell — letters
  7. pit — a hole
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. wax — to grow
  12. deal — to handle
  13. spell — magic
  14. clip — for paper
  15. clip — a video
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. clip — to cut
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. staff — employees
  20. pass — a permit
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. pit — in a race
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. deal — a big deal

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