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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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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: cue · bark · bat · fan · stand · hide · sharp · wax

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. sharp — clever
  3. cue — a signal
  4. wax — to grow
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. stand — to bear
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. cue — a hint
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. bark — to shout
  19. cue — for pool
  20. bat — the animal
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. wax — in the ear

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