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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: can · wake · stick · staff · mouse · key · tear · drill

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. staff — employees
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. can — a tin
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. tear — from crying
  9. wake — a trail
  10. key — for a lock
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. tear — to rip
  13. drill — army training
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. can — a tin
  16. key — in music
  17. can — to be able to
  18. drill — the tool
  19. drill — a practice
  20. key — the most important part
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. tear — from crying
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. staff — employees

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