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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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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: nail · press · wax · prune · hand · cell · kick · cue

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. hand — in cards
  3. cue — a signal
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. press — newspapers
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. cell — in biology
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. press — to push
  13. cue — a hint
  14. prune — to trim
  15. wax — to grow
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. kick — in football
  19. cell — a phone
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. press — a publisher
  22. prune — to trim
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. hand — help

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