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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: wax · stock · board · roll · hand · bound · stick · staff

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. board — a committee
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. roll — a cake
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. bound — tied together
  7. bound — certain
  8. wax — to grow
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stock — goods
  11. roll — a list
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. bound — obliged
  14. stock — shares
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. staff — employees
  17. hand — help
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. staff — a stick
  22. board — to get on
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. hand — in cards

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