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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: kid · mine · wax · stand · staff · rest · mark · firm

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. firm — steady
  5. mark — a trace
  6. kid — to tease
  7. staff — a stick
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. mine — for digging
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — employees
  13. firm — decided
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. rest — what's left
  16. stand — to bear
  17. wax — to grow
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. mark — a grade
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. rest — what's left
  22. kid — child
  23. rest — a break
  24. stand — on your feet

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