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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: ground · wax · lean · spring · chip · staff · pit · cue

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. ground — a position
  3. pit — a hole
  4. staff — a stick
  5. ground — the earth
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wax — to grow
  8. spring — a coil
  9. cue — a hint
  10. cue — for pool
  11. cue — a signal
  12. chip — to eat
  13. chip — for betting
  14. staff — employees
  15. lean — thin
  16. spring — the season
  17. staff — employees
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. pit — in a race
  20. lean — to bend
  21. ground — crushed
  22. spring — of water
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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