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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: wax · stand · bat · wound · staff · current · pitcher · hide

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. current — happening now
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. staff — employees
  9. current — of water
  10. current — electric
  11. staff — a stick
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. bat — the animal
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. staff — employees
  18. wax — to grow
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. stand — to bear
  21. wound — an injury
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wax — for sculpting

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