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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: clip · wound · staff · wax · cue · rest · branch · foot

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  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. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — to grow
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. staff — a stick
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. clip — a video
  8. rest — a break
  9. clip — for paper
  10. wound — an injury
  11. foot — a measure
  12. clip — to cut
  13. cue — for pool
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rest — what's left
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. staff — employees
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. branch — a division
  21. cue — a signal
  22. wound — an injury
  23. staff — employees
  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