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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: pitcher · season · current · wax · cap · rush · bark · staff

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  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. rush — to hurry
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. rush — hurry
  9. cap — a lid
  10. current — electric
  11. staff — employees
  12. current — happening now
  13. cap — a hat
  14. season — of the year
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. season — in sport
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. bark — to shout
  20. current — of water
  21. wax — to grow
  22. cap — of ice
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. staff — employees

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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