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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: cold · date · ball · wax · cue · can · squash · firm

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. date — the fruit
  5. firm — steady
  6. firm — decided
  7. can — to be able to
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. cue — a hint
  10. squash — the sport
  11. squash — to crush
  12. firm — a company
  13. cold — an illness
  14. wax — to grow
  15. can — a tin
  16. cue — a signal
  17. cue — for pool
  18. ball — a great time
  19. ball — a dance
  20. cold — not warm
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. wax — in the ear

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