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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · wax · saw · staff · capital · cue · object · lie

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. saw — the tool
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — employees
  7. object — a thing
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. object — an aim
  11. cold — an illness
  12. cue — for pool
  13. cue — a signal
  14. lie — to recline
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. wax — to grow
  17. object — to protest
  18. saw — the tool
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. capital — money
  21. cue — a hint
  22. capital — a city
  23. cold — not warm
  24. wax — for sculpting

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