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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: net · wax · cue · root · spring · kick · hand · bark

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. bark — to shout
  3. kick — in football
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. root — of a word
  6. wax — to grow
  7. net — for catching
  8. spring — of water
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. cue — a hint
  11. root — the cause
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. root — of a plant
  14. hand — help
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. hand — in cards
  17. spring — a coil
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. net — in sport
  21. net — after costs
  22. spring — the season
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. cue — for pool

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