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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. spell — a short time
  3. spring — a coil
  4. cue — a hint
  5. spell — magic
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. cue — for pool
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. wax — to grow
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. sharp — clever
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. pound — a weight
  22. spring — the season
  23. spring — of water
  24. spell — letters

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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