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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: staff · key · rash · wax · mug · fall · firm · march

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. firm — steady
  3. key — in music
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. march — the month
  6. march — music
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. rash — hasty
  9. staff — employees
  10. staff — employees
  11. firm — decided
  12. fall — to drop
  13. wax — to grow
  14. march — the month
  15. fall — the season
  16. firm — a company
  17. key — the most important part
  18. key — for a lock
  19. mug — a face
  20. mug — a cup
  21. fall — to drop
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. staff — a stick
  24. rash — a series

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