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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: cue · ground · straw · wax · cell · object · last · swing

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. swing — to play on
  3. object — a thing
  4. object — to protest
  5. cell — a phone
  6. ground — the earth
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. cell — in biology
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. object — an aim
  13. swing — music
  14. last — final
  15. last — finally
  16. swing — in golf
  17. wax — to grow
  18. cue — for pool
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. cue — a signal
  21. ground — a position
  22. ground — crushed
  23. cue — a hint
  24. last — to go on

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