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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 120 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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. wind — moving air
  5. mark — a trace
  6. band — a music group
  7. wax — to grow
  8. chest — of your body
  9. firm — decided
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. band — a ring
  12. wind — moving air
  13. mark — a grade
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. chest — a box
  17. firm — a company
  18. cue — a hint
  19. chest — of your body
  20. firm — steady
  21. cue — for pool
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. band — a rubber band

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