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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: staff · shower · spell · kid · craft · ruler · suit · wax

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. spell — letters
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. spell — a short time
  7. kid — child
  8. suit — in cards
  9. wax — to grow
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. spell — magic
  12. shower — rain
  13. staff — a stick
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. craft — boats
  16. craft — a skill
  17. kid — to tease
  18. staff — employees
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. shower — to wash
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. suit — clothes
  24. staff — employees

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