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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. bank — for money
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. wax — to grow
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. cell — a phone
  8. cold — an illness
  9. cue — a hint
  10. bank — of a river
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. board — to get on
  14. cold — not warm
  15. board — a committee
  16. bank — for money
  17. cell — in biology
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. cue — a signal
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. lean — to bend
  23. lean — thin
  24. wax — for sculpting

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