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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: pop · cue · stick · squash · wax · saw · wind · court

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. pop — music
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wind — moving air
  5. pop — to visit
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. pop — soda
  8. cue — for pool
  9. saw — the tool
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. squash — the sport
  13. court — for sport
  14. squash — to crush
  15. cue — a signal
  16. wind — moving air
  17. saw — the tool
  18. court — of law
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. court — of a king
  21. wax — to grow
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. cue — a hint
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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