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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 · nail · deal · spell · wax · saw · cell · snap

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. snap — to click
  3. cue — a signal
  4. saw — the tool
  5. spell — a short time
  6. cue — for pool
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. saw — the tool
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. spell — magic
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. spell — letters
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. cell — in biology
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. wax — to grow
  23. deal — to handle
  24. cell — a phone

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