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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 116 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: bound · racket · bear · cue · wax · kid · file · stand

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. kid — to tease
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. bound — obliged
  10. file — a line of people
  11. cue — a signal
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bound — certain
  15. wax — to grow
  16. kid — child
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. file — a tool
  19. bound — tied together
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. cue — a hint
  22. stand — to bear
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. file — a document

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