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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: staff · firm · track · wave · clip · object · row · wax

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. firm — decided
  4. object — to protest
  5. track — a song
  6. staff — employees
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. object — an aim
  10. staff — a stick
  11. clip — for paper
  12. clip — a video
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. clip — to cut
  15. staff — employees
  16. wax — to grow
  17. track — to keep track
  18. firm — a company
  19. row — to paddle
  20. object — a thing
  21. firm — steady
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. row — a line
  24. track — a path

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