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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: staff · firm · wax · wound · hide · cold · cue · last

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. cue — for pool
  3. firm — steady
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. cue — a signal
  6. cue — a hint
  7. wax — to grow
  8. cold — an illness
  9. staff — employees
  10. wound — an injury
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. last — finally
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. wound — an injury
  16. staff — employees
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. firm — a company
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. last — final
  22. cold — not warm
  23. staff — a stick
  24. firm — decided

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