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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. cue — for pool
  4. can — to be able to
  5. rash — a series
  6. fine — all right
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. tear — from crying
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. can — a tin
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. cue — a signal
  14. spell — magic
  15. rash — hasty
  16. cue — a hint
  17. tear — to rip
  18. fine — high quality
  19. spell — letters
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. spell — a short time
  22. tear — from crying
  23. can — a tin
  24. wax — to grow

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