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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: land · cue · mate · bore · net · stock · wax · saw

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. mate — a partner
  3. stock — shares
  4. net — for catching
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. cue — a hint
  8. net — after costs
  9. land — ground
  10. land — a country
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. mate — to breed
  13. mate — a friend
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. net — in sport
  17. land — to come down
  18. bore — to tire
  19. bore — to drill
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. stock — goods
  22. cue — for pool
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — the tool

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