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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 120 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: chip · bay · wind · track · trunk · wax · snap · cue

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. track — a path
  3. track — a song
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. chip — to eat
  10. track — to keep track
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. chip — for betting
  14. cue — a hint
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — moving air
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. snap — to click
  23. wax — to grow
  24. cue — for pool

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