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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. cue — a signal
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. wax — to grow
  7. mark — a trace
  8. ball — a dance
  9. bank — of a river
  10. bank — for money
  11. cue — a hint
  12. cue — for pool
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bank — for money
  16. ball — a great time
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. spell — letters
  19. spell — magic
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. kid — child
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. mark — a grade
  24. spell — a short time

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