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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: pound · deal · staff · last · bat · can · spell · wax

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. spell — magic
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. bat — the animal
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — a stick
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. wax — to grow
  10. can — a tin
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. deal — to handle
  13. can — to be able to
  14. last — to go on
  15. spell — letters
  16. last — finally
  17. last — final
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. staff — employees
  21. spell — a short time
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. pound — a weight

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