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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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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: land · wax · racket · fork · cue · net · kid · rest

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. cue — a signal
  3. net — in sport
  4. rest — what's left
  5. land — a country
  6. fork — in a road
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. net — for catching
  13. land — to come down
  14. rest — a break
  15. kid — child
  16. net — after costs
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. cue — a hint
  20. rest — what's left
  21. kid — to tease
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. wax — to grow
  24. land — ground

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