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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: cue · roll · tear · wake · wax · capital · spring · mouse

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. wax — to grow
  3. spring — the season
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. cue — for pool
  10. spring — a coil
  11. tear — from crying
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. roll — a list
  14. roll — a cake
  15. wake — a trail
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. spring — of water
  18. cue — a signal
  19. tear — from crying
  20. cue — a hint
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. tear — to rip
  23. capital — a city
  24. capital — money

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