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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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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: rock · tear · wind · cap · fine · fall · wax · cue

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. tear — from crying
  3. fine — all right
  4. fall — to drop
  5. cap — of ice
  6. wind — moving air
  7. fall — to drop
  8. rock — a stone
  9. cap — a lid
  10. cue — for pool
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. wind — moving air
  13. rock — music
  14. fine — high quality
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. fall — the season
  17. cue — a hint
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. tear — from crying
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. wax — to grow
  23. tear — to rip
  24. cap — a hat

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