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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 124 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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  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. spring — of water
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. current — of water
  5. rule — government
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. current — happening now
  8. current — electric
  9. cue — a hint
  10. spell — a short time
  11. bore — to drill
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. spring — a coil
  15. cue — for pool
  16. wax — to grow
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. bore — to tire
  19. spring — the season
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. rule — a law
  22. spell — magic
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. spell — letters

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