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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. shower — to wash
  4. bound — tied together
  5. tube — the underground
  6. tube — a container
  7. wax — to grow
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. sharp — clever
  16. cue — a hint
  17. shower — rain
  18. cue — for pool
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. bound — certain
  24. bound — obliged

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