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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.

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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: fall · wax · dip · cold · cue · perch · deal · pass

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. cue — for pool
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. cold — an illness
  6. fall — to drop
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. fall — the season
  10. fall — to drop
  11. cue — a hint
  12. cold — not warm
  13. deal — to handle
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. cue — a signal
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. perch — the fish
  20. dip — to sink
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. wax — to grow
  24. pass — a permit

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