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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 120 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: lean · ruler · land · pop · march · wax · cue · trunk

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. land — to come down
  3. cue — a signal
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. cue — for pool
  7. pop — music
  8. march — the month
  9. lean — to bend
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. land — ground
  12. pop — to visit
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. march — music
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. march — the month
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. lean — thin
  21. wax — to grow
  22. land — a country
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. cue — a hint

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