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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. cue — a hint
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. fall — the season
  5. cue — a signal
  6. fall — to drop
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. scale — in music
  9. wax — to grow
  10. bear — the animal
  11. scale — size or range
  12. court — of law
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. court — for sport
  15. court — of a king
  16. fall — to drop
  17. cue — for pool
  18. bear — to put up with

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