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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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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: hide · firm · racket · swing · stem · staff · snap · wax

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. firm — decided
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. swing — to play on
  5. firm — steady
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. stem — to come from
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. wax — to grow
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — a stick
  15. firm — a company
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. swing — music
  22. snap — to click
  23. swing — in golf
  24. staff — employees

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