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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: cabinet · perch · wake · staff · lash · wax · clip · deal

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. clip — a video
  6. staff — a stick
  7. wake — a trail
  8. perch — the fish
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. deal — to handle
  14. staff — employees
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. clip — to cut
  17. clip — for paper
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. wax — to grow
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. cabinet — ministers

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