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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: key · cell · cue · tube · perch · spell · wax · chair

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. perch — the fish
  3. cell — in biology
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. cell — a phone
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. chair — a leader
  8. tube — a container
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. key — for a lock
  11. wax — to grow
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. spell — magic
  14. cue — for pool
  15. spell — a short time
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. spell — letters
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. key — the most important part
  20. cue — a signal
  21. tube — the underground
  22. key — in music
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. tube — in a tire

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