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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ball · drill · wax · cue · key · straw

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. ball — a dance
  3. cue — a hint
  4. drill — a practice
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — to grow
  7. ball — a great time
  8. cue — for pool
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. key — the most important part
  13. key — in music
  14. drill — the tool
  15. cue — a signal
  16. key — for a lock
  17. drill — army training
  18. straw — a straw man

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