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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: ball · drill · wax · cue · key · straw · rash · stem

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. drill — the tool
  3. wax — to grow
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. cue — a signal
  6. key — for a lock
  7. key — the most important part
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. cue — for pool
  10. stem — to come from
  11. cue — a hint
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. rash — hasty
  14. ball — a dance
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. drill — a practice
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. drill — army training
  21. key — in music
  22. rash — a series
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. stem — of a plant

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