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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: cap · cue · mark · mine · pop · present · object · wax

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. mark — a grade
  3. object — an aim
  4. object — a thing
  5. object — to protest
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mark — a trace
  10. pop — music
  11. cap — a hat
  12. cue — for pool
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. present — the time now
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. cap — of ice
  17. wax — to grow
  18. cap — a lid
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. present — a gift
  21. pop — soda
  22. pop — to visit
  23. cue — a signal
  24. present — there

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