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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 116 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: cold · deal · object · current · ball · staff · dip · wax

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. staff — employees
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. current — electric
  5. staff — employees
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. ball — a dance
  8. cold — an illness
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. deal — to handle
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. dip — to sink
  15. object — to protest
  16. current — of water
  17. object — an aim
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. current — happening now
  21. ball — a great time
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. cold — not warm
  24. staff — a stick

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