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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: mine · race · lie · can · cell · wound · cue · wax

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. can — to be able to
  3. race — a contest
  4. cue — a signal
  5. wax — to grow
  6. lie — to recline
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. cue — a hint
  9. race — the arms race
  10. cell — in biology
  11. wound — an injury
  12. mine — for digging
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. cell — a phone
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. race — humankind
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. cue — for pool
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — a tin

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