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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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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: wax · mate · current · wake · ground · spring · bat · cue

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. current — of water
  3. wax — to grow
  4. current — electric
  5. cue — a hint
  6. ground — the earth
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. ground — a position
  11. spring — of water
  12. mate — a friend
  13. ground — crushed
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. cue — for pool
  16. wake — a trail
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. spring — a coil
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. current — happening now
  21. bat — the animal
  22. mate — to breed
  23. mate — a partner
  24. spring — the season

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