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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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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: fork · cue · wax · racket · lash · fall · bulb · court

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. cue — a hint
  4. wax — to grow
  5. fork — in a road
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. bulb — for light
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. court — for sport
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. fall — to drop
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. court — of a king
  15. cue — for pool
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — the season
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. court — of law

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