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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. present — the time now
  5. stem — to come from
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. rush — hurry
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. present — there
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. capital — money
  15. capital — a city
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. cue — a hint
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. wax — to grow
  21. present — a gift
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. cue — for pool
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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