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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: object · cue · rule · wax · mine · root · present · drill

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. drill — the tool
  4. mine — for digging
  5. wax — to grow
  6. drill — a practice
  7. drill — army training
  8. root — of a word
  9. object — a thing
  10. cue — a hint
  11. rule — government
  12. present — the time now
  13. object — to protest
  14. present — there
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. root — of a plant
  17. rule — a law
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. present — a gift
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. root — the cause
  22. cue — for pool
  23. cue — a signal
  24. rule — to rule out

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