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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: straw · wax · board · cue · object · mark · current · spell

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. cue — a hint
  4. cue — for pool
  5. board — to get on
  6. mark — a trace
  7. spell — magic
  8. object — to protest
  9. current — of water
  10. spell — letters
  11. cue — a signal
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. current — happening now
  14. object — an aim
  15. current — electric
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. spell — a short time
  18. board — a committee
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. mark — a grade
  21. object — a thing
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. wax — for sculpting

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