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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: bear · wind · band · staff · firm · foot · mouse · wax

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  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. wind — moving air
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. band — a ring
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. firm — a company
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. wind — moving air
  11. band — a music group
  12. firm — decided
  13. firm — steady
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. wax — to grow
  17. foot — a measure
  18. bear — the animal
  19. staff — employees
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. bear — the animal
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. staff — a stick
  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