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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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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 · mug · kick · rash · wax · row · swing · stick

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. row — a line
  3. staff — a stick
  4. staff — employees
  5. rash — a series
  6. mug — to rob
  7. kick — in football
  8. mug — a cup
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. swing — to play on
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. staff — employees
  17. swing — in golf
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. wax — to grow
  20. mug — a face
  21. swing — music
  22. rash — hasty
  23. row — to paddle
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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