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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. court — of a king
  3. cue — a signal
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. deal — to handle
  7. rule — a law
  8. chip — to eat
  9. court — of law
  10. chip — for betting
  11. wax — to grow
  12. rule — government
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. prune — to trim
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. cue — for pool
  19. prune — to trim
  20. branch — a division
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. court — for sport
  24. chip — in a computer

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