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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. cell — a phone
  3. cue — a hint
  4. rash — hasty
  5. cell — in biology
  6. charge — electricity
  7. charge — a price
  8. wake — a trail
  9. charge — in control
  10. prune — to trim
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. wax — to grow
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. cue — a signal
  17. rash — a series
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. prune — to trim
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. wake — before a funeral

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