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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: cue · bat · charge · rock · rest · spring · wax · can

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. rest — what's left
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. can — to be able to
  5. charge — electricity
  6. can — a tin
  7. spring — the season
  8. rock — a stone
  9. spring — a coil
  10. cue — a signal
  11. spring — of water
  12. can — a tin
  13. rest — what's left
  14. charge — a price
  15. rest — a break
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. bat — the animal
  19. cue — for pool
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. charge — in control
  23. wax — to grow
  24. rock — music

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