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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. scale — in music
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. last — finally
  9. plane — a tool
  10. scale — size or range
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. cue — a hint
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. last — to go on
  19. wake — a trail
  20. last — final
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. snap — to click
  23. cue — for pool
  24. scale — for weighing

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