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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. cue — for pool
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. bound — certain
  7. wind — moving air
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. bound — obliged
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. pound — a weight
  12. wax — to grow
  13. bound — tied together
  14. wind — moving air
  15. kick — in football
  16. cue — a signal
  17. dip — to sink
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. wind — to turn a key

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