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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: drill · roll · cue · jam · capital · wax · cell · bore

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. cue — a signal
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. capital — money
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. bore — to drill
  7. cell — a phone
  8. wax — to grow
  9. drill — army training
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. roll — a cake
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. cue — a hint
  14. cell — in biology
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. capital — a city
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. bore — to tire
  20. drill — the tool
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. drill — a practice
  23. cue — for pool
  24. roll — on a roll

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