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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 · staff · game · date · wake · mark · wound · shower

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. staff — a stick
  3. mark — a trace
  4. game — a match
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. staff — employees
  7. wound — an injury
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. shower — rain
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. game — wild animals
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. date — the fruit
  16. mark — a grade
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. shower — to wash
  19. wax — to grow
  20. staff — employees
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. wake — a trail
  24. mark — to pay attention

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