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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 124 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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. cue — a signal
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. cue — for pool
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. cue — a hint
  7. shower — rain
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. band — a ring
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. scale — in music
  15. band — a music group
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. toast — bread
  18. shower — to wash
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. scale — size or range

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