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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: staff · land · cue · roll · spell · wax · ruler · cap

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. cue — a signal
  4. roll — a cake
  5. spell — a short time
  6. cap — of ice
  7. cue — a hint
  8. land — to come down
  9. land — ground
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. spell — magic
  12. cue — for pool
  13. roll — a list
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. spell — letters
  17. cap — a hat
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. staff — a stick
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — employees
  24. cap — a lid

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