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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. cue — for pool
  3. wax — to grow
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. bank — of a river
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. track — a song
  9. bank — for money
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. kid — child
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. cue — a signal
  16. bank — for money
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. track — a path
  19. kid — to tease
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. cue — a hint
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. track — to keep track

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