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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: suit · wax · rush · tear · staff · degree · deal · pound

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. tear — to rip
  4. staff — a stick
  5. rush — hurry
  6. suit — in cards
  7. deal — to handle
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. staff — employees
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. suit — clothes
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. suit — to fit
  15. degree — an amount
  16. tear — from crying
  17. pound — a weight
  18. wax — to grow
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. degree — temperature
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. tear — from crying
  24. degree — from a university

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