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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: cue · row · chest · wake · straw · pass · wax · fan

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. chest — a box
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. chest — of your body
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. cue — for pool
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. wake — a trail
  11. chest — of your body
  12. row — a line
  13. cue — a hint
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. cue — a signal
  18. wax — to grow
  19. row — to paddle
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. pass — a permit
  24. straw — a straw man

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