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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. cue — a signal
  3. bound — obliged
  4. board — to get on
  5. hand — help
  6. wax — to grow
  7. bound — tied together
  8. cue — a hint
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — of your body
  11. hand — in cards
  12. chest — a box
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. board — a committee
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. bound — certain
  21. cue — for pool
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. wake — a trail

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