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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mine · spell · swing · wax · cue · mate · wound · mark

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. wound — an injury
  3. mate — a friend
  4. swing — music
  5. swing — to play on
  6. cue — for pool
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. cue — a hint
  10. mark — a trace
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. wax — to grow
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. cue — a signal
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. spell — a short time
  17. swing — in golf
  18. spell — letters
  19. wound — an injury
  20. spell — magic
  21. mate — a partner
  22. mark — a grade
  23. mine — for digging
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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