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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: cue · wake · cell · march · craft · pit · chip · wax

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. craft — boats
  3. chip — to eat
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. craft — a skill
  6. cell — in biology
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. pit — in a race
  9. wake — a trail
  10. march — the month
  11. cue — a signal
  12. pit — a hole
  13. cell — a phone
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. chip — for betting
  17. wax — to grow
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. march — the month
  20. cue — a hint
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. cue — for pool
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. march — music

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