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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 120 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: cue · cabinet · row · land · leaves · wax · staff · bark

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. bark — to shout
  4. land — to come down
  5. staff — employees
  6. wax — to grow
  7. row — a line
  8. land — ground
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. row — to paddle
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. cue — for pool
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. land — a country
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. staff — a stick
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cue — a hint
  23. cue — a signal
  24. bark — of a tree

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