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

Word bank: cell · wax · cue · prune · charge · snap · club · lie

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wax — to grow
  3. club — for dancing
  4. charge — electricity
  5. cue — a signal
  6. club — a group
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. cell — a phone
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. charge — in control
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — to trim
  17. cue — for pool
  18. cue — a hint
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. club — for golf
  21. snap — to click
  22. charge — a price
  23. lie — to recline
  24. cell — in biology

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