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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 116 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: march · fall · tear · cue · can · wax · clip · hand

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. fall — to drop
  3. march — the month
  4. tear — from crying
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. hand — help
  7. march — the month
  8. cue — for pool
  9. cue — a hint
  10. cue — a signal
  11. wax — to grow
  12. tear — to rip
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. clip — for paper
  15. can — a tin
  16. fall — the season
  17. clip — a video
  18. fall — to drop
  19. can — a tin
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. march — music
  22. tear — from crying
  23. clip — to cut
  24. can — to be able to

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