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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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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: squash · racket · mouse · capital · wax · staff · stick · tear

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. wax — to grow
  3. tear — from crying
  4. staff — employees
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. staff — employees
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. staff — a stick
  12. squash — to crush
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. capital — money
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. squash — the sport
  17. tear — to rip
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. tear — from crying
  24. capital — a city

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