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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 116 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: mug · racket · cue · bay · race · file · bark · wax

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. cue — a hint
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. mug — a face
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. file — a document
  7. mug — to rob
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. file — a tool
  10. mug — a cup
  11. race — the arms race
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. race — humankind
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. bark — to shout
  19. cue — for pool
  20. wax — to grow
  21. race — a contest
  22. file — a line of people
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. bay — a horse colour

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