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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: foot · tube · hand · ball · cue · prune · field · wax

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. field — farmland
  3. foot — a measure
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. field — for sport
  7. hand — in cards
  8. cue — for pool
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. field — a subject
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. cue — a signal
  14. hand — help
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. ball — a dance
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — to trim
  20. ball — a great time
  21. tube — the underground
  22. tube — a container
  23. cue — a hint
  24. wax — to grow

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