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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. can — to be able to
  3. pop — to visit
  4. cue — a signal
  5. wax — to grow
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. cue — a hint
  8. row — a line
  9. object — to protest
  10. row — to paddle
  11. cold — an illness
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. can — a tin
  15. plane — a tool
  16. object — a thing
  17. can — a tin
  18. pop — music
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. cue — for pool
  23. object — an aim
  24. pop — soda

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