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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cue · wind · saw · snap · leaves · wax · hand · ball

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. saw — the tool
  3. snap — to click
  4. hand — help
  5. cue — for pool
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. saw — the tool
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. ball — a dance
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wind — moving air
  18. hand — in cards
  19. ball — a great time
  20. cue — a signal
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. wind — moving air
  24. ball — a round shape

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