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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. cue — a signal
  5. cue — for pool
  6. prune — to trim
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. prune — to trim
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. cap — a lid
  12. snap — to click
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. wax — to grow
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. cell — in biology
  19. cap — a hat
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. cap — of ice
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. cell — a phone

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