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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: snap · arm · clip · cue · dip · wax · race · rest

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. rest — what's left
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. snap — to click
  6. wax — to grow
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. clip — for paper
  9. cue — a hint
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. rest — what's left
  12. race — a contest
  13. dip — to sink
  14. race — the arms race
  15. clip — to cut
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. clip — a video
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. race — humankind
  21. cue — for pool
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. rest — a break
  24. wax — in the ear

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