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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: wind · staff · wax · present · key · cabinet · row · stick

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. row — a line
  8. row — to paddle
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — moving air
  11. key — the most important part
  12. key — for a lock
  13. present — there
  14. present — the time now
  15. key — in music
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. staff — employees
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. staff — employees
  23. wax — to grow
  24. staff — a stick

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