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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: wind · mark · game · clip · stick · object · wax · staff

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. wax — to grow
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. game — a match
  6. object — to protest
  7. staff — a stick
  8. mark — a trace
  9. clip — to cut
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. game — wild animals
  13. wind — moving air
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. staff — employees
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. clip — a video
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. staff — employees
  20. object — a thing
  21. mark — a grade
  22. wind — moving air
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. object — an aim

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