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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. cue — a signal
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. spell — letters
  6. craft — a skill
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. cue — a hint
  14. vault — a safe
  15. spell — a short time
  16. spell — magic
  17. cue — for pool
  18. wind — moving air
  19. craft — boats
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. rule — government
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. wind — to turn a key

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