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

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. cue — a hint
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wax — to grow
  5. kid — to tease
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cue — a signal
  9. root — of a plant
  10. cue — for pool
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. wound — an injury
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. root — of a word
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. kid — child
  18. root — the cause

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