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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. cue — a hint
  3. cue — a signal
  4. land — ground
  5. kid — to tease
  6. kid — child
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. cue — for pool
  11. suit — clothes
  12. snap — to click
  13. land — to come down
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. bore — to drill
  16. suit — in cards
  17. suit — to fit
  18. wake — a trail
  19. bore — to tire
  20. land — a country
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. wax — to grow

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