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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: rash · wax · firm · wind · last · stick · club · saw

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. rash — a series
  4. firm — a company
  5. club — a group
  6. firm — decided
  7. saw — the tool
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. club — for dancing
  10. last — to go on
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rash — hasty
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. last — finally
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. last — final
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — moving air
  23. firm — steady
  24. saw — the tool

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