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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: spell · land · wax · staff · rash · chest · stock · hand

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. staff — a stick
  3. rash — a series
  4. chest — of your body
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. land — a country
  7. staff — employees
  8. wax — to grow
  9. rash — hasty
  10. spell — letters
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. chest — a box
  13. staff — employees
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. spell — magic
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. stock — goods
  18. land — to come down
  19. hand — in cards
  20. stock — shares
  21. land — ground
  22. chest — of your body
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. hand — help

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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