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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: saw · pound · rest · patient · wax · staff · calf · mark

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. staff — employees
  3. rest — what's left
  4. saw — the tool
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. mark — a trace
  9. saw — the tool
  10. rest — what's left
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. pound — a weight
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. staff — employees
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. mark — a grade
  19. wax — to grow
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. rest — a break

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