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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. spring — a coil
  3. spring — the season
  4. staff — employees
  5. pound — a weight
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. degree — temperature
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. staff — a stick
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. cue — for pool
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. staff — employees
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. degree — from a university
  18. foot — a measure
  19. degree — an amount
  20. spring — of water
  21. wax — to grow
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. cue — a hint
  24. pound — to hit hard

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