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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
468
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: mate · ball · wax · bear · key · cue · clip · current

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. cue — a hint
  3. bear — the animal
  4. mate — to breed
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. cue — for pool
  7. ball — a dance
  8. clip — a video
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. key — for a lock
  11. ball — a great time
  12. wax — to grow
  13. key — the most important part
  14. mate — a partner
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. clip — to cut
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. clip — for paper
  19. current — happening now
  20. bear — the animal
  21. current — electric
  22. key — in music
  23. cue — a signal
  24. current — of water

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