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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: wax · rash · straw · staff · ruler · stock · club · trunk

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  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. staff — employees
  2. staff — employees
  3. rash — hasty
  4. club — a group
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. club — for golf
  7. staff — a stick
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. stock — shares
  14. rash — a series
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. stock — goods
  21. club — for dancing
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  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