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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. cue — a signal
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. can — a tin
  6. roll — a cake
  7. can — a tin
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. cue — for pool
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. roll — a list
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. cue — a hint
  15. band — a music group
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. can — to be able to
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. band — a ring

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