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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. squash — to crush
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. fall — to drop
  6. cue — a hint
  7. suit — to fit
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. cue — for pool
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. pound — a weight
  13. suit — in cards
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. fall — to drop
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. squash — the sport
  20. suit — clothes
  21. cue — a signal
  22. fall — the season
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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