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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. cue — a signal
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. stand — to bear
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. net — after costs
  8. net — in sport
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. cue — a hint
  11. cold — an illness
  12. chip — to eat
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. cold — not warm
  20. chip — for betting
  21. cue — for pool
  22. wax — to grow
  23. net — for catching
  24. trunk — of a tree

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